English
photometer
Photometer 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’
- Englishtodayphotometer1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English photometer
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-Wiktionary, English photometer‘to shine, glow light’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéh₂osWiktionary, English photometerreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*pʰáwosWiktionary, English photometerreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφᾰ́οςWiktionary, English photometerphắos‘light’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφῶςWiktionary, English photometerphôs‘Attic form of φᾰ́ος’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτρονWiktionary, English photometermétron‘something used to measure: measure, rule, weight’
- EnglishtodayphotometerWiktionary, English photometer
A compound of photo- + -meter
Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine, glow light’
Proto-Indo-European *bʰéh₂os
Proto-Hellenic *pʰáwos
Ancient Greek φᾰ́ος ‘light’
Ancient Greek φῶς ‘light’
English photo-
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine, glow light’
focus, phone, professor, famous, fuel, ben, favor, ban, fantasy, phase, favourite, fancy, fate, fame, profession, fatal, bee, fairy, fabulous, emphasis, abandon, infant, confession, confess, beacon, beck, phenomenon, symphony, boon, eff, fab, phantom, fay, bane, fable, banish, epiphany, buoy, nefarious, profess, 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 Any of several instruments used to measure various aspects of the intensity of light.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “photometer”. 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- / photometer