Etymograph

English

incandescent

Incandescent comes from Latin incandescens ‘glowing or causing to glow’, from candesco ‘become white’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend- ‘to shine, appear’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kend-‘to shine, appear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kandēōreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandeō‘to shine’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandidus‘white’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandesco‘become white’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEincandesco‘be heated, glow’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEincandescens‘glowing or causing to glow’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentincandescent
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1959same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kend-‘to shine, appear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kandēōreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandeō‘to shine’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandidus‘white’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcandesco‘become white’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEincandesco‘be heated, glow’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEincandescens‘glowing or causing to glow’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentincandescent
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1959same form

Earliest quotation: 1959, Tom Lehrer, We Will All Go Together When We Go: “We will all go together when we go /…”

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *kandēō

candidature, 7 more

through Latin candeō ‘to shine’

chandler, candle, chandelier, incendiary, candida, candor, candela, 8 more

through Latin candidus ‘white’

candidate, candid, 2 more

Today it means

adj Emitting light as a result of being heated.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)kend- / incandescent

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