Where does “infrared” come from?
Infrared derives from English red combined with the prefix infra-, from Latin inferus meaning "below," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁rowdʰós and kret-.
infrared (English): electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer...
Definitions
- electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer...
Ancestry of “infrared”, step by step
infrared traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English infra
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | infra | Discussed later; Infrastructure |
| 2 | Latin | infra | below |
| 3 | Latin | īnferā | — |
| 4 | French | inférer | to infer |
| 5 | Latin | īnferō | to carry, bring, put, place, or throw in, into, to, or upon somewhere or something; insert |
| 6 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 7 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 8 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via English Red
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Red | A Communist; A supporter of a sports team who... |
| 2 | English | rede | Help, advice, counsel; Decision, a plan; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | reden | to counsel, advise; to study; to read |
| 4 | Old English | rǣdan | to read, interpret; to counsel, advise; plot,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | rādan | to advise, counsel, help; to devise, decide,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rēdaną | to decide, advise |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |