Vector
/ˈvɛk.tər/noun
A quantity or direction that has both magnitude and direction, or something that carries or transmits something else.
Did you know?Vector comes from Latin *vehere* (“to carry”), the same root behind *vehicle* and *convoy*—so the math term for directional force is secretly built on the ancient language of carrying things.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weǵʰ-
“to carry, to convey”
Latin
Latin
vehere
“to carry, transport”
Latin
Latin
vector
“one who carries or conveys”
19th Century
English
vector
“a quantity having direction as well as magnitude in mathematics and physics”
Modern English
English
vector
“a quantity with both magnitude and direction, or a carrier of something else”