Etymology Map
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Watt

2 stages from Scots to English.

Today it means the SI unit of power, one joule per second

Where does the word "watt" come from? It comes from Scots Watt, adopted directly into English (1882).

1
Stage 1 of 2
Watt
Scots · 1769
"a family name"
a surname from a pet form of Walter; James Watt, born in Greenock in 1736, patented his separate condenser for steam engines in 1769
2
Stage 2 of 2
watt
English · 1882
"unit of power"
Carl Wilhelm Siemens proposed the watt as the unit of power in his 1882 address to the British Association, and the International Electrical Congress adopted it in 1889
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Read the full story

Watt’s story begins in Scots: Watt meant “a family name.” A surname from a pet form of Walter; James Watt, born in Greenock in 1736, patented his separate condenser for steam engines in 1769. It reached English by 1882 as watt. Carl Wilhelm Siemens proposed the watt as the unit of power in his 1882 address to the British Association, and the International Electrical Congress adopted it in 1889. Today, watt means the SI unit of power, one joule per second.