Where does “periscope” come from?
Periscope comes from English -scope, from Ancient Greek σκοπέω, from Ancient Greek σκοπός, from Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European speḱ-, meaning to observe or perceive.
periscope (English): A form of viewing device that allows the viewer...
Definitions
- A form of viewing device that allows the viewer...
Ancestry of “periscope”, step by step
periscope traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English peri
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | peri | A sprite or supernatural being |
| 2 | Ottoman Turkish | پری | fairy |
| 3 | Persian | پری | sprite or supernatural being in Iranian/Persian... |
| 4 | Persian | پر | full; feather; wing |
| 5 | Middle Persian | purr | — |
| 6 | Proto-Iranian | pr̥Hnáh | full, filled |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | pr̥Hnás | full, filled |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |
via English scope
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | scope | The breadth, depth or reach of a subject; a... |
| 2 | Italian | scopo | aim, end, goal; first-person singular present... |
| 3 | Latin | scopus | a target |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | σκοπός | watcher, lookout; protector, guardian; spy, scout |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σκέπτομαι | I look at, examine; I examine, consider, think |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | sképťomai | to look at |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | spéḱyeti | to be looking at, to keep looking at |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |