decibel

Where does the word "decibel" come from? It comes from Scots Bell, and was adopted directly into English (1928).

Decibel’s story begins in Scots: Bell meant “a family name.” Alexander Graham Bell, born in Edinburgh in 1847, patented the telephone in 1876. It reached English by 1928 as decibel. Latin decimus 'tenth' + bel; Bell Telephone Laboratories named the bel after him in 1928, and the tenth-part decibel became the practical unit. Today, decibel means a unit measuring the intensity of sound.

1. Stage 1 · Scots · 1876 Bell "a family name", Alexander Graham Bell, born in Edinburgh in 1847, patented the telephone in 1876.
2. Stage 2 · American English · 1928 decibel "unit of sound level", Latin decimus 'tenth' + bel; Bell Telephone Laboratories named the bel after him in 1928, and the tenth-part decibel became the practical unit.