Where does “webcam” come from?
Webcam is a blend of web and camera, where camera derives from Latin camera meaning a vaulted room or chamber.
webcam (English): A video camera whose output may be viewed in real...
Definitions
- A video camera whose output may be viewed in real...
Ancestry of “webcam”, step by step
webcam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English camera
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | camera | A device for taking still or moving pictures or... |
| 2 | New Latin | camera obscura | dark chamber |
| 3 | Latin | camera | A chamber in its various senses, "including";... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | καμάρα | Anything with an arched cover such as a covered... |
| 5 | Proto-Iranian | kamarā- | something curved |
| 6 | Proto-Iranian | kamárati | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | *kmárati | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂em- | to bend, to curve |
via English Web
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Web | The World Wide Web |
| 2 | Middle English | webbe | Weaved fabric; fabric manufactured by weaving; A... |
| 3 | Old English | webba | weaver |
| 4 | Old English | -a | Ending forming adverbs; nominative masculine... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ō | Creates feminine nouns from roots and stems |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ô | -ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |