Where does “thermometer” come from?
Thermometer comes from French thermomètre, combining French thermo- from Ancient Greek θερμός (thermós, "hot") and French -mètre from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, "measure").
thermometer (English): An apparatus used to measure temperature
Definitions
- An apparatus used to measure temperature
Ancestry of “thermometer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | thermomètre | thermometer |
| 2 | French | thermo- | heat |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | θερμός | warm, hot, boiling, glowing; hotheaded, hasty,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | σφαῖρα | ball, globe, sphere |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ειδής | like, connected to, from the nature of, full of;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |