distance etymology

Etymology

The word "distance" comes from the Old French word "distance," which in turn comes from the Latin word "distantia," meaning "difference" or "interval."

Meaning and Origin

Distance is a physical or mathematical measure of the separation between two points. It can be measured in various units, such as meters, kilometers, miles, or light-years.

The concept of distance has been used since ancient times. In geometry, distance is used to calculate the length of sides and diagonals in polygons and circles. In astronomy, distance is used to measure the distances to stars, planets, and other celestial objects.

In everyday life, distance is used to describe the separation between two locations. It can also be used to describe the amount of time it takes to travel between two points. For example, we might say that "the distance from New York City to Los Angeles is about 2,800 miles" or "the distance from my house to work is about 10 minutes by car."

The concept of distance is closely related to other concepts such as space, length, and time. Distance can be used to measure the size of objects, the distances between objects, and the time it takes to travel between objects.

distance relate terms

  • long distance

    Etymology Long Old English lang long in distance or duration Distance Latin dista

  • long

    Etymology The word long comes from the Proto Indo European root leng meaning to stre

  • distance

    Etymology The word distance comes from the Old French word distance which in turn co

  • outdistance

    Etymology Outdistance comes from the Old English words ūt out and distansian to e

  • distance

    Etymology The word distance comes from the Old French word distance which in turn co

  • outstrip

    Etymology Old English ūtstrypan to surpass Proto Germanic ūz straipjan to ste

  • space

    Origin The word space is derived from the Old French word espace which itself comes

  • length

    Etymology From Middle English length from Old English lencð from Proto Germanic la

  • gauge

    Etymology The word gauge comes from the Old French word gage meaning pledge or securi

  • migrate

    Etymology The word migrate originates from the Latin verb migrare which means to m

  • depth

    Etymology The word depth comes from the Old English word dēop which is related to t

  • maintain

    Etymology Derived from the Old French word maintenir which means to hold keep or

  • elevation

    Etymology Late Middle English in the sense height or altitude above sea level