television (Swedish)
Where does "television" come from?
The Swedish noun 'television' entered the language from English 'television'[1], which is formed from the prefix 'tele-' combined with 'vision'[2]. The latter component traces back through Middle English and Old French 'vision' from Latin 'vīsiō'[3], a noun derived from the verb 'videō'[3]. This Latin root descends ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root '*weyd-', meaning 'to see' or 'to know'[9][11].
Open questions
- The English term was first attested in 1900 and was likely influenced by French 'télévision' from a paper presented by Constantin Perskyi at a Paris conference. [2] [4]
Full etymology tree
- television (Swedish), 'television'
- borrowed television (English), 'An electronic communication medium that allows the transmission of real-time visual images, and often sound.'
- influenced by télévision (French), 'television'
- compound télé- (French), 'tele-'
- derived τῆλε (têle) (Ancient Greek), 'far off, afar, far away'
- compound vision (French), 'vision, sight'
- inherited vision (Old French), 'vision (supernatural sensory experience)'
- learned borrowing visio (Latin), 'seeing, sight, vision, view'
- derived visus (Latin), 'having been seen'
- derived video (Latin), 'to see, perceive; look (at)'
- inherited *widēō (Proto-Italic), 'to see'
- influenced by *wid-é-t (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *weyd- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to see'
- influenced by *wid-é-t (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *widēō (Proto-Italic), 'to see'
- derived video (Latin), 'to see, perceive; look (at)'
- derived visus (Latin), 'having been seen'
- learned borrowing visio (Latin), 'seeing, sight, vision, view'
- inherited vision (Old French), 'vision (supernatural sensory experience)'
- compound télé- (French), 'tele-'
- compound tele- (English), 'over a distance'
- derived τῆλε (têle) (Ancient Greek), 'far off, afar, far away'
- compound vision (English), 'The sense or ability of sight.'
- inherited visioun (Middle English), 'A vision; an illusory image, apparition or mirage.'
- borrowed visioun (Old French), 'alternative form of vision'
- inherited vision (Old French), 'vision (supernatural sensory experience)'
- learned borrowing visio (Latin), 'seeing, sight, vision, view'
- derived visus (Latin), 'having been seen'
- derived video (Latin), 'to see, perceive; look (at)'
- inherited *widēō (Proto-Italic), 'to see'
- influenced by *wid-é-t (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *weyd- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to see'
- influenced by *wid-é-t (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *widēō (Proto-Italic), 'to see'
- derived video (Latin), 'to see, perceive; look (at)'
- derived visus (Latin), 'having been seen'
- learned borrowing visio (Latin), 'seeing, sight, vision, view'
- inherited vision (Old French), 'vision (supernatural sensory experience)'
- borrowed visioun (Old French), 'alternative form of vision'
- inherited visioun (Middle English), 'A vision; an illusory image, apparition or mirage.'
- influenced by télévision (French), 'television'
- borrowed television (English), 'An electronic communication medium that allows the transmission of real-time visual images, and often sound.'
Ancestors
- television (English)
- vision (Swedish)
Sources
- television (Swedish) - Wiktionary
- television (English) - Wiktionary
- vision (English) - Wiktionary
- télévision (French) - Wiktionary
- vision (French) - Wiktionary
- vision (Old French) - Wiktionary
- visio (Latin) - Wiktionary
- visioun (Middle English) - Wiktionary
- visus (Latin) - Wiktionary
- widtós (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
- video (Latin) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris