Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Demeter” come from?

Demeter comes from Ancient Greek Δημήτηρ, derived from Ancient Greek γῆ meaning "earth" and Proto-Hellenic mā́tēr meaning "mother," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European méh₂tēr meaning "mother."

Ancestry of “Demeter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient GreekΔημήτηρDemeter
2Ancient Greekμήτηρmother; source or origin
3Proto-Hellenicmā́tērmother
4Proto-Indo-Europeanméh₂tērmother
Every word from Proto-Indo-European méh₂tēr →