Where does “wavenumber” come from?
I appreciate the challenge, but I need to flag an issue: the etymology chain provided doesn't support the headword "wavenumber."
The chain traces: English number → Latin numerus, but "wavenumber" is a compound term (wave + number). The chain only accounts for the "number" component and doesn't explain how or when "wave" was added, nor does it establish any connection between this chain and the specific technical meaning of "wavenumber."
To write an accurate one-sentence origin summary, I would need:
- Either a chain that traces "wavenumber" specifically, or
- Confirmation that I should only etymologize "number" and note that "wavenumber" is a modern English compound
Could you clarify which is intended, or provide the chain for "wavenumber" itself?
wavenumber (English): A measure of the number of waves in unit...
Definitions
- A measure of the number of waves in unit...
Ancestry of “wavenumber”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | number | An abstract entity used to describe quantity; A... |
| 2 | English | numb | Physically unable to feel, not having the power... |
| 3 | English | nim | To take or seize; To filch, steal; To walk with... |
| 4 | Middle English | nimen | to take |
| 5 | Old English | niman | to take, seize |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | neman | to take |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | nemaną | to take |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | nem- | to distribute; to give, to take |