Photo
/ˈfoʊ.toʊ/noun
A photograph or a picture made with a camera.
Did you know?“Photo” comes from Greek phōs/phōt- meaning “light,” the same ancient root that powers words like phantom and phosphorus through the idea of shining, revealing, or appearing.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
φῶς (phōs), φωτός (phōtos)
“light”
Late Greek / Scientific Greek
Greek
photo-
“combining form meaning light”
19th Century
French
photographie
“photography, light-writing”
19th Century
English
photo
“photograph”
Modern English
English
photo
“a photograph”
Explore more surprising origins