Etymology

photomultiplier

P3H4O1T1O1M3U1L1T1I1P3L1I1E1R1

Today it means: A device, normally in the form of a tube, that uses a photocathode to convert photons into photoelectrons which are then amplified. Full definition →

English multiplier ← Proto-Germanic *līką ← Proto-Indo-European *leyg-
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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. Englishmultiple
  9. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  10. Proto-Germanic*līką
  11. Englishmultiply
  12. Englishmultiplier
  13. English todayphotomultiplier

From photo- + multiplier.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.