Where does “spacetime” come from?
Spacetime derives from English space, which comes from Middle English space, from Old French space, from Latin spatium, from Ancient Greek θέμα, ultimately from Ancient Greek τίθημι meaning "to place or set."
spacetime (English): The four-dimensional continuum of the three...
Definitions
- The four-dimensional continuum of the three...
Ancestry of “spacetime”, step by step
spacetime traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Time
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Time | The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events |
| 2 | Middle English | tyme | thyme; time; A specific duration or period of... |
| 3 | Old French | thym | — |
| 4 | Latin | thymum | thyme; accusative singular of thymus |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | θύμον | thyme |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | θύω | I offer in sacrifice, slay, burn, immolate; I... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via German Raumzeit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Raumzeit | spacetime |
| 2 | German | raum | wide; space |
| 3 | Middle High German | rūm | — |
| 4 | Old High German | rūm | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | rūm | roomy, spacious; room, open space |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rūmaz | roomy, spacious, open |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | rewh₁- | free space |
via English space
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | space | "Of time."; "Unlimited or generalized extent,... |
| 2 | Middle English | space | — |
| 3 | Old French | espace | space; room; duration |
| 4 | Latin | spatium | Space, room, extent; Distance between points; A... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | spéh₁- | to succeed, to prosper |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | speh₁- | to succeed, to prosper |