Etymology

Michelson-Morley experiment

Today it means: An attempt in 1887 to detect the existence of the luminiferous aether by comparing the speed of light in perpendicular directions. Full definition →

Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

Named after American physicists Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley, who performed the experiment.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.