English
geometric
Geometric comes from Latin geōmetricus ‘geometer’, from Ancient Greek μετρέω ‘to measure’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-1‘to measure’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτρον2‘something used to measure: measure, rule, weight’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμετρέω3‘to measure’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγεωμέτρης4‘geometer’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγεωμετρικός4geōmetrikós‘of or for geometry, geometrical’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgeōmetricus4‘geometer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1662geometric4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek μέτρον
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek μετρέω
- 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek γεωμέτρης
- 4 Wiktionary, English geometric
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1662, [The First Part of Hudibras]: “In Mathematicks he was greater / Than Tycho Brahe,…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek μέτρον‘to measure’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτρονWiktionary, Ancient Greek μετρέω‘something used to measure: measure, rule, weight’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμετρέωWiktionary, Ancient Greek γεωμέτρης‘to measure’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγεωμέτρηςWiktionary, English geometric‘geometer’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγεωμετρικόςWiktionary, English geometricgeōmetrikós‘of or for geometry, geometrical’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgeōmetricusWiktionary, English geometric‘geometer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1662geometricWiktionary, English geometric. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1662, [The First Part of Hudibras]: “In Mathematicks he was greater / Than Tycho Brahe,…”
Equivalent to geometer + -ic
Ancient Greek γεωμέτρης
Late Latin geōmetrēs ‘geometer, geometrician’
Middle English gemeter
English geometer
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- ‘to measure’
month, moon, measure, moral, meal, sunny, dimensional, dimension, immense, moody, meta, mesa, parameter, menstrual, commensurate, mensa, asymmetric, centimetre, firman, moodiness, menses, mete, metis, 60 more
through Ancient Greek μέτρον ‘something used to measure: measure, rule, weight’
meter, metre, madder, symmetric, asymmetry, metrology, metra, 43 more
Today it means
adj Of or relating to geometry.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “geometric”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek μέτρον, Ancient Greek μετρέω, Ancient Greek γεωμέτρης. 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 *meh₁- / geometric