thermometer

Where does the word "thermometer" come from? It comes from Greek thermos, passing through French before entering English (1630s).

Thermometer’s story begins in Greek: thermos meant “hot.” Hot, combined with metron (measure) for an instrument measuring heat. By 1624, the word had taken hold in French as thermometre. Formed from Greek thermos (hot) and metron (measure) for the new heat-measuring instrument. It reached English by 1630s as thermometer. Coined by the Jesuit Jean Leurechon in 1624; Fahrenheit's mercury thermometer followed in 1714. Today, thermometer means an instrument used to measure temperature.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient thermos "hot", hot, combined with metron (measure) for an instrument measuring heat.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1624 thermometre "heat-measure", formed from Greek thermos (hot) and metron (measure) for the new heat-measuring instrument.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1630s thermometer "an instrument for measuring temperature", coined by the Jesuit Jean Leurechon in 1624; Fahrenheit's mercury thermometer followed in 1714.