Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spectro-” come from?

spectro- (English) comes from English Spectrum, from Latin spectrum, from Ancient Greek σκοπέω, from Ancient Greek σκοπός, from Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι, from Proto-Hellenic sképťomai, from Proto-Indo-European spéḱyeti, from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- — to see, to look, to observe.

spectro- (English): optical spectra

Definitions

  1. optical spectra

Ancestry of “spectro-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSpectrum—
2Latinspectrumappearance, image; apparition, specter
3Ancient GreekσκοπέωI look, look at, behold; I examine, inspect; 413...
4Ancient Greekσκοπόςwatcher, lookout; protector, guardian; spy, scout
5Ancient GreekσκέπτομαιI look at, examine; I examine, consider, think
6Proto-Hellenicsképťomaito look at
7Proto-Indo-Europeanspéḱyetito be looking at, to keep looking at
8Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe

Words derived from “spectro-”

  • spectroscopy
  • spectrometry
  • spectrometer
  • spectroscope
  • spectrophotometer
  • spectrograph
  • spectrogram
  • spectrophotometry
  • spectrophotometric
  • spectrophotometrically
  • microspectroscopy
  • spectroscopist
  • spectroradiometer
  • spectrography
  • spectrochemical
  • spectroelectrochemical
  • spectroelectrochemistry
  • spectropolarimeter
  • spectrofluorometry
  • microspectrophotometry
  • spectropolarimetric
  • spectropolarimetry
  • spectromicroscopy
  • spectroheliograph
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- →