exothermic
ˌɛksəˈθɜːrmɪk
adjective
Origin
Greek
exō + thermē — outside + heat
Overview
Meaning Now
- Designating a chemical reaction or physical process that releases energy, typically in the form of heat, to its surroundings.
Literal older meaning
outside-heat
Language path
Greek → English
Earliest form
exothermic
Earliest period
19th century
Journey
The term was introduced during the development of classical thermodynamics in the 19th century to formalize the distinction between reactions that consume energy from the surroundings (endothermic) and those that emit it.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
exō
“outside”
Adverbial root
- Ancient Greek
thermē
“heat”
Noun root
- Modern English
exothermic
“releasing heat”
Coined in science to describe reaction energy flow
Connections
Word parts
exo-
prefix
outside
therm-
root
heat
-ic
suffix
pertaining to
Related across languages
Greek
exōthermos
outside-heated
Related words
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Related to exothermic
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.