Where does “rhythm” come from?

Rhythm comes from Latin rhythmus, borrowed from Ancient Greek ῥυθμός, derived from ῥέω meaning to flow, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots srew- and ser-.

rhythm (English): The variation of strong and weak elements of...

Definitions

  1. The variation of strong and weak elements of...

Ancestry of “rhythm”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinrhythmusrhythm
2Ancient Greekῥυθμόςa repeating, regular motion, vibration; measured...
3Ancient GreekῥέωI flow, stream, run, gush; I let flow, pour; I...
4Proto-Indo-Europeansrew-to flow, stream
5Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “rhythm”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European srew- →Every word from Ancient Greek ῥέω →