English
acoustics
Acoustics comes from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓κουστῐκός ‘of or for hearing’, from ἀκούω ‘to hear’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to enjoy’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-‘to enjoy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ṓws‘ear’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ḱh₂owsyéti‘to be sharp-eared, to hear well’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*akóuhō‘to hear’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀκούωakoúō‘to hear’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEᾰ̓κουστῐκόςăkoustĭkós‘of or for hearing’
- Medieval Latinmodernacousticus
- English1500–presentacoustic
- Englishearliest quotation 1831acoustics
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-‘to enjoy’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ṓws‘ear’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ḱh₂owsyéti‘to be sharp-eared, to hear well’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*akóuhō‘to hear’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀκούωakoúō‘to hear’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEᾰ̓κουστῐκόςăkoustĭkós‘of or for hearing’
- Medieval Latinmodernacousticus
- English1500–presentacoustic
- Englishearliest quotation 1831acoustics
Earliest quotation: 1831, John Herschel, Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy: “Acoustics, then, or the science of sound, is a…”
A compound of acoustic + -s
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to enjoy’
…
Proto-Hellenic *akóuhō ‘to hear’
Ancient Greek ἀκούω ‘to hear’
Ancient Greek ἀκουστῐκός ‘of or for hearing’
Medieval Latin acousticus
English acoustic
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to enjoy’
love, audience, egg, audit, aviation, oval, obey, avid, audible, ey, anesthesia, avian, ovation, aviator, auspicious, aviary, ocarina, avarice, 66 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws ‘ear’
ear, aural, otolaryngology, 41 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti ‘to be sharp-eared, to hear well’
Today it means
noun The science of sounds, teaching their nature, phenomena and laws.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- / acoustics