Where does “voltage” come from?
Voltage derives from French voltage, based on French volte and Italian volta, from Latin volatus, the past participle of volvere meaning to turn or roll.
voltage (English): The difference in electrostatic potential between...
Definitions
- The difference in electrostatic potential between...
Ancestry of “voltage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | volt | In the International System of Units, the derived... |
| 2 | French | volte | — |
| 3 | Italian | volta | time, instance, occasion; turn; vault |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | volta | nominative/accusative/vocative plural of voltum |
| 5 | Latin | volatus | flown, having been flown; flying; flight |
| 6 | Latin | volō | to wish, to please |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | gʷelāō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelh₁-éh₂-ye-ti | to throw, raise the arm |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |