Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “incandescent” come from?

Incandescent comes from French incandescent, from Latin incandescens, the present participle of incandesco, formed from the prefix in- and the root in, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne and h₁én.

incandescent (English): emitting light as a result of being heated;...

Definitions

  1. emitting light as a result of being heated;...

Ancestry of “incandescent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchincandescentincandescent
2Latinincandescensglowing or causing to glow; kindling or causing...
3LatinincandescoI grow warm; I glow or kindle
4Latinīn-—
5Latinîn—
6Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
7Proto-Italicenin
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “incandescent”

  • incandescently
  • nonincandescent
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →