Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “thermocline” come from?

Thermocline comes from Ancient Greek θερμός (thermós, "warm") and the suffix -cline, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰer- meaning "to warm."

thermocline (English): A layer within a body of water or air where the...

Definitions

  1. A layer within a body of water or air where the...

Ancestry of “thermocline”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishthermo-heat
2Ancient Greekθερμόςwarm, hot, boiling, glowing; hotheaded, hasty,...
3Ancient Greekσφαῖραball, globe, sphere
4Ancient Greek-ειδήςlike, connected to, from the nature of, full of;...
5Ancient Greek-ήςadjective suffix
6Proto-Indo-European-ēsPrimarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds
7Proto-Indo-European-ess—
8Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -os →