English
centigrade
Centigrade comes from English grade ‘degree’, from Latin centum ‘a hundred’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ ‘ten’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déḱm̥1‘ten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱm̥tóm1‘hundred’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kəntom1‘hundred (100)’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentum1‘a hundred’
- English1500–presentgrade1‘degree’
- Englishearliest quotation 1978centigrade1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English centigrade
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1978, 1976, Leszek Kołakowski: “We may note in passing that none of the…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déḱm̥Wiktionary, English centigrade‘ten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱm̥tómWiktionary, English centigrade‘hundred’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kəntomWiktionary, English centigrade‘hundred (100)’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentumWiktionary, English centigrade‘a hundred’
- English1500–presentgradeWiktionary, English centigrade‘degree’
- Englishearliest quotation 1978centigradeWiktionary, English centigrade. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1978, 1976, Leszek Kołakowski: “We may note in passing that none of the…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ ‘ten’
ten, dick, dean, dozen, decade, den, diner, decimal, tenfold, denier, deca, dwt, doyen, deni, 48 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tóm ‘hundred’
through Latin centum ‘a hundred’
Today it means
adj Having 100 divisions between two fixed points.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “centigrade”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ / centigrade