Etymograph

English

rhythmics

Rhythmics comes from Latin rhythmus ‘rhythm’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *srew- ‘to flow, stream’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*srew-1‘to flow, stream’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sru-dʰ-mo-s1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hrutʰmós1reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῥῠθμός1rhŭthmós‘measured motion, rhythm’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErhythmus1‘rhythm’
  6. English1500–presentrhythm1
  7. Englishtodayrhythmics1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English rhythmics

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*srew-Wiktionary, English rhythmics‘to flow, stream’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sru-dʰ-mo-sWiktionary, English rhythmicsreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hrutʰmósWiktionary, English rhythmicsreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῥῠθμόςWiktionary, English rhythmicsrhŭthmós‘measured motion, rhythm’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErhythmusWiktionary, English rhythmics‘rhythm’
  6. English1500–presentrhythmWiktionary, English rhythmics
  7. EnglishtodayrhythmicsWiktionary, English rhythmics

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *srew- ‘to flow, stream’

stream, maelstrom, rheumatism, rheumatology, rheumatic, hemorrhoid, rheology, 42 more

through Proto-Hellenic *hrutʰmós

arrhythmia, 31 more

Today it means

noun The study of rhythm.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rhythmics”. 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 *srew- / rhythmics

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