Etymology and origin of the Latin word logarithmus
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Coinage, Compound
- First attested
- 1614 John Napier More words from the 17th century
- Ultimate origin
- Ancient Greek λόγος,ἀριθμός
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
From the same root
Forms
logarithmus m (genitive logarithmī); second declension[1]
Etymology
It was coined by the Scottish mathematician John Napier in 1614,[1] from Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos, “proportion, ratio, word”) + ἀριθμός (arithmós, “number”), literally “ratio-number”.[2][1]
Earliest recorded meaning
John Napier coined it in 1614[1] for a logarithm, a function used to shorten calculation.[2]
Semantic evolution
It was a New Latin term of mathematics,[1] and English took it over as logarithm in the 1610s.[2]
Timeline
Meanings
Noun
Related words
- English logarithm
References
Borrowed into
- English logarithm
Related etymologies
- -inus · also from Greek
- -eus · also from Greek
- patriarcha · also from Greek
- microscopium · also from Greek
- arteria · also from Greek
- anachoreta · also from Greek
- alleluia · also from Greek
- palladium · also from Greek
Cite this entry
“Logarithmus.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/logarithmus. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.
Last edited on . ·