timelike

T1I1M3E1L1I1K5E1

adjective

Of a four-vector in representing a point in spacetime, having a positive or negative four-vector norm for the metric signature (+, -, -, -) and (-, +, +, +) respectively.

OriginProto-Germanic *līką ← Proto-Indo-European *leyg- ← English time →
UncommonScrabble 14
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectivetimelike (comparative more timelike, superlative most timelike)

comparative more timelike · superlative most timelike · alternative time-like

  1. mathematicsOf a four-vector in representing a point in spacetime, having a positive or negative four-vector norm for the metric signature (+, -, -, -) and (-, +, +, +) respectively.
  2. natural sciences(of the interval between two events in spacetime) Having overlapping light cones, so that information can pass from one to the other, and one can be envisaged as a cause of the other.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*deh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*deh₂y-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*dih₂-mon-
  4. Proto-Germanic*tīmô
  5. Proto-West Germanic*tīmō
  6. Old Englishtīma
  7. Middle Englishtyme
  8. Englishtime
  9. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  10. Proto-Germanic*līką
  11. Englishtimelike

From time + -like.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German zeitartig, zeitartig
  • zeitartigmathematics, physics: of a four-vector
  • zeitartigphysics: of the interval between two events in spacetime
Cite this entry
APA

timelike. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/timelike

MLA

“timelike.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/timelike. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “timelike,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/timelike.

Source: timelike on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.