Wattage
/ˈwɑː.tɪdʒ/noun
The amount of power measured in watts.
Did you know?Wattage comes from the surname of James Watt, and the unit watt was named in his honor in the 19th century, making this one of the rare everyday words whose “origin” is a person, not an ancient root.
Etymological Timeline
18th Century
English
Watt
“The name of Scottish engineer James Watt, later used as a unit of power”
19th Century
English
watt
“A unit of power in the metric system, named for James Watt”
Late 19th Century
English
wattage
“The amount of power expressed in watts”
Modern English
English
wattage
“Power rating or power output, especially of an electrical device”
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