Where does “panoptic” come from?
Panoptic derives from English optic, Middle French optique, Ancient Greek ὀπτικός meaning "of sight," from ὀπτός "seen," from ὀπτάω "to see," traced to Proto-Indo-European wekʷ- meaning "to see."
panoptic (English): All-seeing; comprehensive, inclusive
Definitions
- All-seeing; comprehensive, inclusive
Ancestry of “panoptic”, step by step
panoptic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English optic
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | optic | Of, or relating to the eye or to vision; Of, or... |
| 2 | Middle French | optique | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ὀπτικός | of or relating to seeing, sight or vision: optic,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὄψις | view |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὄψ | voice; word; eye, face |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | wókʷs | voice |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wekʷ- | to speak, to sound out |
via French panoptique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | panoptique | panoptic; panopticon |
| 2 | French | optique | optic, optical; optics; point of view,... |
| 3 | Latin | opticus | optic; of or relating to seeing, sight or vision |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὀπτῐκός | optic, optical, visual |