Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “temperature” come from?

Temperature comes from Latin temperatura, derived from Latin tempero, which is rooted in Latin tempus meaning time, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European tempos and temp-.

temperature (English): A measure of cold or heat, often measurable with...

Definitions

  1. A measure of cold or heat, often measurable with...

Ancestry of “temperature”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintemperaturadue or proper measure, proportion, composition or...
2Latintemperō—
3Latintempustime, period, age; season; kairos, right time,...
4Proto-Indo-Europeantemposstretch
5Proto-Indo-Europeantemp-to extend, stretch, span; to stetch, string; to...

Words derived from “temperature”

  • temp
  • distemperature
  • paleotemperature
  • palaeotemperature
  • overtemperature
  • biotemperature
  • multitemperature
  • cryotemperature
  • temps
Every word from Proto-Indo-European temp- →