Where does “quantum” come from?

quantum (Late Latin) comes from Latin quantus, from Proto-Italic *kʷijentos, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷíh₂onts.

quantum (Late Latin): nominative neuter singular of quantus; accusative...

Definitions

  1. nominative neuter singular of quantus; accusative...

Ancestry of “quantum”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinquantushow much, how many; how big
2Proto-Italic*kʷijentos—
3Proto-Indo-European*kʷíh₂onts—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kʷíh₂onts →Every word from Proto-Italic *kʷijentos →Every word from Latin quantus →