Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spectrum” come from?

Spectrum comes from Latin spectrum, derived from Latin specio meaning "to look," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- meaning "to observe" combined with the instrumental suffix -trom.

spectrum (English): A range; a continuous, infinite, one-dimensional...

Definitions

  1. A range; a continuous, infinite, one-dimensional...

Ancestry of “spectrum”, step by step

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

Words derived from “spectrum”

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