English
goniophotometer
Goniophotometer comes from Ancient Greek μέτρον ‘something used to measure: measure, rule, weight’, from φῶς ‘Attic form of φᾰ́ος’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine, glow light’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-1‘to shine, glow light’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéh₂os1reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰáwos1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφᾰ́ος1phắos‘light’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφῶς1phôs‘Attic form of φᾰ́ος’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτρον1métron‘something used to measure: measure, rule, weight’
- English1500–presentphotometer1
- Englishtodaygoniophotometer1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English goniophotometer
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-Wiktionary, English goniophotometer‘to shine, glow light’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéh₂osWiktionary, English goniophotometerreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰáwosWiktionary, English goniophotometerreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφᾰ́οςWiktionary, English goniophotometerphắos‘light’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφῶςWiktionary, English goniophotometerphôs‘Attic form of φᾰ́ος’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτρονWiktionary, English goniophotometermétron‘something used to measure: measure, rule, weight’
- English1500–presentphotometerWiktionary, English goniophotometer
- EnglishtodaygoniophotometerWiktionary, English goniophotometer
A compound of gonio- + photometer
Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu ‘knee’
Proto-Hellenic *gónu ‘knee’
Proto-Hellenic *gonwía
Ancient Greek γωνία ‘angle’
English gonio-
Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine, glow light’
…
Proto-Hellenic *pʰáwos
Ancient Greek φᾰ́ος ‘light’
Ancient Greek φῶς ‘Attic form of φᾰ́ος’
Ancient Greek μέτρον ‘something used to measure: measure, rule, weight’
English photometer
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine, glow light’
focus, professor, phone, famous, fuel, ben, favor, ban, fantasy, phase, favourite, fancy, fate, fame, fatal, bee, fairy, fabulous, emphasis, infant, profession, abandon, beck, confess, phenomenon, beacon, symphony, phantom, eff, fab, boon, fay, bane, fable, epiphany, buoy, foyer, banish, profess, fantasia, 128 more
through Ancient Greek φῶς ‘Attic form of φᾰ́ος’
photographer, phosphate, phosphorus, phosphine, 7 more
through Ancient Greek μέτρον ‘something used to measure: measure, rule, weight’
metric, metre, parameter, asymmetry, madder, metrology, metra, 43 more
Today it means
noun A device that measures the light emitted from an object at different angles.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “goniophotometer”. 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 *bʰeh₂- / goniophotometer