Where does “magnetometer” come from?
Magnetometer is an English compound of magnet and -meter, derived from Ancient Greek μέτρον (metron, "measure"), itself from Proto-Indo-European -trom and -tḗr, both meaning "instrument for measuring."
magnetometer (English): An instrument used to measure the intensity and...
Definitions
- An instrument used to measure the intensity and...
Ancestry of “magnetometer”, step by step
magnetometer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English meter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | meter | A device that measures things; A parking meter or... |
| 2 | French | mètre | metre/meter; first-person singular present... |
| 3 | Latin | metrum | a measure |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
via English magneto
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | magneto | A small magnetic dynamo, especially one that... |