Where does “camera obscura” come from?
camera obscura (Latin) comes from Latin obscura, from Latin obscūrus, from Latin ob-, from Latin obolus, from Ancient Greek ὀβολός, from Ancient Greek ὀβελός, from Ancient Greek βέλος, from Proto-Indo-European gʷélHos — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.
camera obscura (Latin): dark chamber
Definitions
- dark chamber
Ancestry of “camera obscura”, step by step
camera obscura traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin obscura
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | obscura | nominative feminine singular of obscūrus;... |
| 2 | Latin | obscūrus | dark, dusky, shadowy |
| 3 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 4 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |
via Latin camera
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | camera | A chamber in its various senses, "including";... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | καμάρα | Anything with an arched cover such as a covered... |
| 3 | Proto-Iranian | kamarā- | something curved |
| 4 | Proto-Iranian | kamárati | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | *kmárati | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂em- | to bend, to curve |