Where does “wattmeter” come from?
Wattmeter is a compound of watt, from Scottish engineer James Watt, and meter, from Ancient Greek μέτρον meaning "measure," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -trom denoting an agent or instrument.
wattmeter (English): An instrument for measuring electric power in...
Definitions
- An instrument for measuring electric power in...
Ancestry of “wattmeter”, step by step
wattmeter traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch meter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | meter | measurer; meter; meter, metre |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | meter | — |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | metrijn | — |
| 4 | Latin | matrīna | godmother |
| 5 | Latin | -īnus | of or pertaining to; -ine |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -īnos | of/belonging to |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English Watt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Watt | Watt, a king of Sussex |
via Dutch watt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | watt | watt |