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Where does the word "vector" come from? It comes from Latin vector, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "vector" come from? It comes from Latin vector, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).
Vector’s story begins in Latin: vector meant “carrier.” From 'vehere', to carry, the root of 'vehicle'. It reached English by 1700s as vector. Mathematical vectors date from the 1840s; disease vectors from the 1900s. Today, vector means a quantity with direction; a disease carrier.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient vector "carrier", from 'vehere', to carry, the root of 'vehicle'.
- Stage 2 · English · 1700s vector "carrier", mathematical vectors date from the 1840s; disease vectors from the 1900s.