Etymology

photomask

P3H4O1T1O1M3A1S1K5

Today it means: A transparent quartz block marked with many high-resolution images; a series of them are used in the photolithography of integrated circuits, one for each layer. Full definition →

English mask ← Ancient Greek φωτο- (phōto-) ← Proto-Hellenic *pʰáwos
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéh₂os
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pʰáwos
  4. Ancient Greekφᾰ́ος (phắos)
  5. Ancient Greekφῶς (phôs)
  6. Ancient Greekφωτο- (phōto-)
  7. Englishphoto-
  8. Englishmask
  9. English todayphotomask

From photo- + mask.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.