Where does “camera obscura” come from?
camera obscura (New Latin) comes from Latin camera, from Ancient Greek καμάρα, from Proto-Iranian kamarā-, from Proto-Iranian kamárati, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kmárati, from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em- — to bend, to curve.
camera obscura (New Latin): dark chamber
Ancestry of “camera obscura”, step by step
| 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 |
Words derived from “camera obscura”