Etymograph

English

parameter

Parameter comes from New Latin parametrum, from Ancient Greek μέτρον ‘measure’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-1‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτρον2métron‘measure’
  3. New Latinc. 1500–1900parametrum2
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentparamètre2
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2007parameter2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek μέτρον
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English parameter
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Charles M. Hansen, Hansen Solubility Parameters: “As molecular surface-to-surface contacts control both solution phenomena and…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek μέτρον‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτρονWiktionary, English parametermétron‘measure’
  3. New Latinc. 1500–1900parametrumWiktionary, English parameter
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentparamètreWiktionary, English parameter
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2007parameterWiktionary, English parameter. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Charles M. Hansen, Hansen Solubility Parameters: “As molecular surface-to-surface contacts control both solution phenomena and…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- ‘to measure’

month, moon, measure, meal, moral, sunny, dimensional, dimension, immense, moody, meta, geometric, mesa, menstrual, symmetric, mensa, commensurate, centimetre, firman, moodiness, menses, metis, mete, 61 more

through Ancient Greek μέτρον ‘measure’

metric, metre, asymmetry, madder, metrology, metra, 44 more

Today it means

noun A value kept constant during an experiment, equation, calculation, or similar, but varied over other versions of the experiment, equation, calculation, etc.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “parameter”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek μέτρον. 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- / parameter

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