Etymology

geophysics

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Today it means: A branch of earth science dealing with the physical processes and phenomena occurring in the earth and in its vicinity. Full definition →

English physics ← Middle English phisik ← Latin physicus
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The story

  1. Proto-Hellenic*gaya
  2. Ancient Greekγαῖᾰ (gaîă)clip.
  3. Ancient Greekγῆ (gê)
  4. Ancient Greekγεω- (geō-)
  5. Englishgeo-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuH-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuHyéti
  8. Ancient Greekφῠ́ω (phŭ́ō)
  9. Ancient Greekφύσις (phúsis)
  10. Ancient Greekφυσικός (phusikós)
  11. Latinphysicus
  12. Middle Englishphisik
  13. Englishphysic
  14. Englishphysics
  15. English todaygeophysics

From geo- + physics.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.