Where does “Iron Age” come from?
Iron Age (English) comes from English age, from Middle English age, from Old French aage, from Vulgar Latin aetaticum, from Latin aetās, from Latin aevitās, from Proto-Italic aiwotāts, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyu- — vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning.
Iron Age (English): The most recent and debased of the four or five classical Ages of Man; hence, any period characterized by wicked behavior
Definitions
- The most recent and debased of the four or five classical Ages of Man; hence, any period characterized by wicked behavior
Ancestry of “Iron Age”, step by step
Iron Age traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English age
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | age | The whole duration of a being, whether animal,... |
| 2 | Middle English | age | The age of someone or rarely something; how old someone is |
| 3 | Old French | aage | age |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | aetaticum | age |
| 5 | Latin | aetās | the period of a life: lifetime, lifespan |
| 6 | Latin | aevitās | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | aiwotāts | age |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |
via English iron
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | iron | A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when... |
| 2 | Ossetian | ирон | Ossetian person; an Ossetian, speaking the Iron... |
| 3 | Ossetian | ир | Ossetians, the Ossetian nation; the speakers of... |
| 4 | Proto-Iranian | wiHráh | man |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | wiHrás | man |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wiHrós | man; husband; warrior, hero |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |