Diameter
From Thinkmath
Etymology
From Latin, from Greek dia-, 'apart' or 'across' + -meter, 'measure,' meaning 'measurement across.' Derived from Indo-European me-, 'to measure,' which gives rise to many words involving meter and measure and words (connected with measurement) that are built on the root mens (see Dimension).
Related mathematical terms
- For terms related to -meter and -metry, see: Meter, Centimeter, Metric system, Thermometer, Geometry, Symmetry (sym- Similar + measure), Trigonometry (measurement of things with tri- Three gons Angles, that is, Triangles), Isometric (iso-, as in Isosceles means 'equal', so isometric has to do with 'equal [or unchanging] measurement.')
- For terms related to dia-, see Diagonal
Other related words
barometric, and meter in the sense of time measure or rhythm, whence meter, metrical, metronome, and pentameter in music and poetry. The Indo-European root me- also gives us the "meal" in piecemeal (measured out in little doses) and even the familiar word meal, 'appointed time, time for eating'!
