Etymograph

English

micrometer

Micrometer comes from French micromètre.

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentmicromètre1
  2. Englishtodaymicrometer1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English micrometer

Lineage

  1. Frenchc. 1600–presentmicromètreWiktionary, English micrometer
  2. EnglishtodaymicrometerWiktionary, English micrometer

Formed from micro- + -meter

Ancient Greek μῑκρός ‘small’

English micro-

Every English word from French micromètre

Another origin of micrometer

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-‘small, little’uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμῑκρόςmīkrós‘a little of’
  3. Englishtodaymicrometer

Today it means

noun A device used to measure distance very precisely but within a limited range, especially depth, thickness, and diameter.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “micrometer”. 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 / French micromètre / micrometer

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