Where does “velocity” come from?
Velocity comes from French vélocité, from Latin vēlōcitās meaning swiftness, derived from the Proto-Indo-European suffix -it-.
velocity (English): A vector quantity that denotes the rate of change...
Definitions
- A vector quantity that denotes the rate of change...
Ancestry of “velocity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | vélocité | — |
| 2 | Latin | vēlōcitās | speed, velocity, swiftness, rapidity, fleetness |
| 3 | Latin | vēlōx | swift, quick, fleet, rapid, speedy |
| 4 | Latin | pēs | a foot, in its senses as |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |