Where does “interferometer” come from?
I need to identify the issue with this etymology chain before writing the summary.
The chain provided appears problematic: it lists "English interfere" going back through Ancient Greek μέτρον (metron, "measure") and -τρον, then jumps to Latin inter- and inter, then to Proto-Indo-European bʰer-, then Latin volvo, then Proto-Indo-European wel-. This sequence doesn't form a coherent path.
For "interferometer," the correct etymology should trace:
- English interferometer (instrument for measuring interference)
- From English interfere + -meter
- Where interfere comes from Latin inter- (between) + Latin ferre (to carry/bear), from PIE bʰer-
- And -meter comes from Greek μέτρον (metron, measure) from PIE *me- (to measure)
However, I'm instructed to "
interferometer (English): any of several instruments that use the...
Definitions
- any of several instruments that use the...
Ancestry of “interferometer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | ‐o‐ | — |
| 2 | English | -prim | — |
| 3 | English | trimethoprim | A synthetic antibiotic used to treat malaria and... |
| 4 | English | trimethoxy | Three methoxy groups in a molecule |
| 5 | English | methoxy | The univalent radical CH-O- derived from methanol |
| 6 | English | oxy- | Sharp, keen, acute, pungent, acid; Concerning... |
| 7 | English | oxygen | The chemical element with an atomic number of 8... |
| 8 | French | oxygène | oxygen; inflection of oxygéner:
##... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | γένος | offspring, descendant; family, clan; nation, race |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | génos | family; race |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁os | race, lineage |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
Words derived from “interferometer”