Where does “inspiral” come from?
inspiral (English) comes from English spiral, from Middle French spirale, from Medieval Latin spiralis, from Latin spira, from French trompe, from Middle French trompe, from Old French trompe, from Frankish trumpa — trump, trumpet; trumpet.
inspiral (English): Describing the paths of a pair of astronomical bodies (e.g. binary stars or black holes) that are spiralling in towards each other, losing energy to gravitational waves
Definitions
- Describing the paths of a pair of astronomical bodies (e.g. binary stars or black holes) that are spiralling in towards each other, losing energy to gravitational waves
Ancestry of “inspiral”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spiral | A curve that is the locus of a point that rotates... |
| 2 | Middle French | spirale | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | spiralis | spiraling |
| 4 | Latin | spira | A thing that is coiled, twisted, or wound; A... |
| 5 | French | trompe | trumpet; trunk of an elephant; squinch |
| 6 | Middle French | trompe | — |
| 7 | Old French | trompe | trump, trumpet; horn, trump, trumpet |
| 8 | Frankish | trumpa | trump, trumpet; trumpet |