Etymograph

English

centigrade

Centigrade comes from English grade ‘degree’, from Latin centum ‘a hundred’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ ‘ten’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déḱm̥‘ten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱm̥tóm‘hundred’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kəntom‘hundred (100)’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentum‘a hundred’
  5. English1500–presentgrade‘degree’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1978centigrade

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déḱm̥‘ten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱm̥tóm‘hundred’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kəntom‘hundred (100)’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcentum‘a hundred’
  5. English1500–presentgrade‘degree’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1978centigrade

Earliest quotation: 1978, 1976, Leszek Kołakowski: “We may note in passing that none of the…”

A compound of centi- ‘hundred’ + grade ‘degree’

Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ ‘ten’

Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tóm ‘hundred’

Proto-Italic *kəntom ‘hundred (100)’

Latin centum ‘hundred’

English centi-

Proto-Indo-European *gʰradʰ-

Proto-Italic *graðus

Latin gradus ‘a step’

Middle French grade ‘a grade’

English grade

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ ‘ten’

ten, dick, dean, dozen, decade, den, diner, decimal, tenfold, denier, deca, dwt, doyen, deni, 49 more

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tóm ‘hundred’

hundred, hectare, 13 more

through Latin centum ‘a hundred’

century, sen, centurion, centenarian, 11 more

Today it means

adj Having 100 divisions between two fixed points.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥ / centigrade

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