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Where does the word "seismology" come from? It comes from Greek seismos, and was adopted directly into English (1858).
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Where does the word "seismology" come from? It comes from Greek seismos, and was adopted directly into English (1858).
Seismology’s story begins in Greek: seismos meant “an earthquake, a shaking.” An earthquake, a shaking, combined with logos (study). It reached English by 1858 as seismology. Coined for the scientific study of earthquakes. Today, seismology means the scientific study of earthquakes and related phenomena.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient seismos "an earthquake, a shaking", an earthquake, a shaking, combined with logos (study).
- Stage 2 · English · 1858 seismology "the scientific study of earthquakes", coined for the scientific study of earthquakes.