Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “phonetics” come from?

Phonetics derives from English phonetic, from Ancient Greek φωνητῐκός, meaning "of or relating to sound or speech."

phonetics (English): The study of the physical sounds of human speech,...

Definitions

  1. The study of the physical sounds of human speech,...

Ancestry of “phonetics”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishphoneticRelating to the sounds of spoken language;...
2Latinphōnēticus—
3Ancient Greekφωνητῐκός—
4Ancient Greekφωνήsound; Usually of the human voice: voice, cry,...
5Proto-Hellenicpʰōnā́—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰoh₂-néh₂—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeh₂-to shine, glow light; to speak, say
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeh₂-s-ri-—

Words derived from “phonetics”

  • sociophonetics
  • psychophonetics
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂-s-ri- →