English
diffraction
Diffraction comes from Latin diffrāctus ‘shattered’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- ‘to break’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰreg-‘to break’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrangō‘to break, shatter’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiffringo‘to shatter, to break into pieces’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiffrāctus‘shattered’past participle of diffringo
- New Latinc. 1500–1900diffrāctiō
- Englishtodaydiffraction
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰreg-‘to break’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfrangō‘to break, shatter’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiffringo‘to shatter, to break into pieces’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiffrāctus‘shattered’past participle of diffringo
- New Latinc. 1500–1900diffrāctiō
- Englishtodaydiffraction
The story
From New Latin diffrāctiō (in which coined by Francesco Maria Grimaldi), from Latin diffrāctus, past participle of Latin diffringo (‘to shatter, to break into pieces’). Coined in Physico-mathesis de lumine (1665) by Francesco Maria Grimaldi.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- ‘to break’
break, broken, broke, brigade, brake, bracket, bray, suffrage, frail, breech, brogan, brogue, 36 more
through Latin frangō ‘to break, shatter’
fragile, refrain, fragment, fracture, fret, infringe, refractory, fractal, infraction, refraction, 16 more
Today it means
noun The bending of a wave around an obstacle.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- / diffraction