Where does “microsecond” come from?
Microsecond combines English micro-, from Ancient Greek μικρός meaning small, and English second, from Latin secundus meaning following or next in sequence, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- meaning to follow.
microsecond (English): An SI unit of time equal to 10−6 seconds. Symbol:...
Definitions
- An SI unit of time equal to 10−6 seconds. Symbol:...
Ancestry of “microsecond”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | second | Number-two; following after the first one with... |
| 2 | Middle French | seconder | — |
| 3 | Latin | secundo | dative masculine singular of secundus; dative... |
| 4 | Latin | secundus | second, the ordinal number after prīmus and... |
| 5 | Latin | sequor | I follow, come or go after |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | sekʷōr | follow, come/go after |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sékʷetor | to be following |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |
Words derived from “microsecond”