Where does “rheostat” come from?
Rheostat derives from Ancient Greek ῥέω (rheō), meaning "to flow," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European srew- and ser-, roots associated with flowing motion.
rheostat (English): An electrical resistor, with two terminals, whose...
Definitions
- An electrical resistor, with two terminals, whose...
Ancestry of “rheostat”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -stat | forming nouns naming scientific instruments that... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | στατός | standing”, “stationary; placed, standing;... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἵστημι | to make to stand, to stand, set; to stop, stay,... |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | hístāmi | to stand |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | stísteh₂ti | to be standing up, to be getting up |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |
Words derived from “rheostat”