Increment
/ˈɪn.krə.mənt/noun
A small increase or addition, especially in a series.
Did you know?Increment comes from Latin incrementum, built from increscere (“to grow into”), and its deepest root is the same PIE base behind words for climbing and rising — language has been using “upward motion” as a metaphor for progress for millennia.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“to grow, rise, or increase”
Latin
Latin
crescere
“to grow”
Latin
Latin
incrementum
“growth; increase; produce”
Old French
Old French
increment
“increase, growth”
Middle English
English
increment
“increase; growth”
Modern English
English
increment
“a small increase or addition”