English
symmetric
Symmetric comes from Latin symmetria ‘symmetry, proportion’, from Ancient Greek μέτρον ‘measure’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-‘to measure’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτρον‘measure’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσῠ́μμετρος‘symmetrical’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσυμμετρίαsummetría
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsymmetria‘symmetry, proportion’
- Englishtodaysymmetric
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-‘to measure’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμέτρον‘measure’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσῠ́μμετρος‘symmetrical’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσυμμετρίαsummetría
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsymmetria‘symmetry, proportion’
- Englishtodaysymmetric
Formed from symmetry + -ic
Ancient Greek σύμμετρος ‘symmetrical’
Ancient Greek συμμετρία
Latin symmetria ‘symmetry, proportion’
English symmetry
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- ‘to measure’
month, moon, measure, moral, meal, sunny, dimensional, dimension, moody, immense, meta, mesa, parameter, menstrual, commensurate, mensa, centimetre, firman, moodiness, menses, mete, metis, 61 more
through Ancient Greek μέτρον ‘measure’
meter, metre, geometric, madder, metrology, metra, 43 more
through Ancient Greek σῠ́μμετρος ‘symmetrical’
Today it means
adj Synonym of symmetrical
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- / symmetric