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Origin and history of spectrum

spectrum(n.)

1610s, "apparition, phantom, specter," a sense now obsolete, from Latin spectrum (plural spectra) "an appearance, image, apparition, specter," from specere "to look at, view" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe").

The meaning "visible band showing the successive colors, formed from a beam of light passed through a prism" is recorded from 1670s. The word was extended to the entire range of radiation wavelengths (including visible light) by 1888. The figurative sense of "entire range" of any thing is from 1936.

also from 1610s

Entries linking to spectrum

specter(n.)

also spectre, c. 1600, "frightening ghost, apparition of the dead as they were in life," from French spectre "an image, figure, ghost" (16c.), from Latin spectrum "appearance, vision, apparition" (see spectrum). The figurative sense of "object of dread" is from 1774.

spectral(adj.)

1718, "capable of seeing specters;" 1815, "ghostly;" from spectre + -al (1). The meaning "pertaining to a spectrum" is 1832, from stem of spectrum + -al (1). Spectrous in the sense of "ghostly" is attested from 1650s, marked obsolete but Blake used it and Swinburne after him. Related: Spectrally; spectrality.

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indium
isolated it while analyzing local zinc ores in 1863 and identified it as a new element by the two dark blue lines in its spectrum...
indigo
As the name of the violet-blue color of the spectrum, 1704 (Newton)....
prism
instrument (usually triangular) with well-polished sides of glass, quartz, etc., which refracts light and spreads it in a spectrum...
primary
[London Times, April 27, 1802] Primary color is attested from 1610s (at first the seven of the spectrum, later the three...
range
c. 1200, renge, "row or line of persons" (especially hunters or soldiers), from Old French reng, renge "a row, line, rank," from Frankish *hring or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz "circle, ring, something curved" (from nasalized form of PIE root *sker- (2
anger
c. 1200, "to irritate, annoy, provoke," from Old Norse angra "to grieve, vex, distress; to be vexed at, take offense with," from Proto-Germanic *angaz (source also of Old English enge "narrow, painful," Middle Dutch enghe, Gothic aggwus "narrow"), from PIE *anghos, suffixed form
compass
c. 1300, "space, area, extent, circumference," from Old French compas "circle, radius; size, extent; pair of compasses" (12c.), from compasser "to go around, measure (with a compass); divide equally," from Vulgar Latin *compassare "to pace out," from Latin com "with, together" (s
scope
[extent] 1530s, "room to act, free play," also literal (1550s), "room to move in, space;" from Italian scopo "aim, purpose, object; thing aimed at, mark, target," from Latin scopus, from Greek skopos "aim, target, object of attention;" also "watcher, one who watches," which accor
orbit
late 14c., "the eye-socket, the bony cavity of the skull which contains the eye," from Old French orbite or directly from Medieval Latin orbita, a transferred use of Latin orbita "wheel track, beaten path, rut, course" (see orb). The astronomical sense of "circular or elliptical
reach
Middle English rēchen, from Old English ræcan, reccan "to reach out, stretch or extend outward, hold forth, extend in continuity or scope," also "to succeed in touching, succeed in striking;" also "to address, speak to," also "to offer, present, give, grant." This is proposed to

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