Where does “Roxanne” come from?
Roxanne (Cebuano) comes from English Roxanne, from French Roxane, from Ancient Greek Ῥωξᾱ́νη, from Old Persian *rauxšnā, from Proto-Iranian ráwxšnaH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian ráwkšnaH, from Proto-Indo-European lówksneh₂, from Proto-Indo-European lewḱ- — bright; to shine; to see.
Ancestry of “Roxanne”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Roxanne | a spelling variant of Roxane, fairly popular since the 1930s |
| 2 | French | Roxane | Roxana the wife of Alexander the Great |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Ῥωξᾱ́νη | Roxana wife of Cambyses II |
| 4 | Old Persian | *rauxšnā | light |
| 5 | Proto-Iranian | ráwxšnaH | light, brightness |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | ráwkšnaH | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lówksneh₂ | moon |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lewḱ- | lynx |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |