Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sawtooth wave” come from?

sawtooth wave (English) comes from English sawtooth, from English saw, from Middle English sawe, from Old English saga, from Proto-West Germanic sagā, from Proto-Germanic sagǭ, from Proto-Indo-European sekʷe-, from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- — to follow; to see; to say.

sawtooth wave (English): A function or waveform that repeatedly ramps...

Definitions

  1. A function or waveform that repeatedly ramps...

Ancestry of “sawtooth wave”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsawtoothA cutting bit of a saw; A sawtooth wave; Any of...
2EnglishsawA tool with a toothed blade used for cutting hard...
3Middle EnglishsaweAlternative form of sauf
4Old Englishsagasaw; saying; statement; story, tale; narrative
5Proto-West Germanicsagāstory
6Proto-Germanicsagǭstory
7Proto-Indo-Europeansekʷe-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeansekʷ-to follow; to see; to say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- →