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Where does the word "barometer" come from? It comes from Greek baros, and was adopted directly into English (1660s).
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Where does the word "barometer" come from? It comes from Greek baros, and was adopted directly into English (1660s).
Barometer’s story begins in Greek: baros meant “weight.” Weight, combined with metron (measure) for an instrument measuring air pressure. It reached English by 1660s as barometer. Coined by English scientists for the new pressure-measuring instrument. Today, barometer means an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient baros "weight", weight, combined with metron (measure) for an instrument measuring air pressure.
- Stage 2 · English · 1660s barometer "an instrument measuring atmospheric pressure", coined by English scientists for the new pressure-measuring instrument.