Where does “Milky Way” come from?

Milky Way (English) comes from Middle English Milky Wey, from Latin Via Lactea, from Latin viā, from Proto-Italic *wiā, from Proto-Indo-European wih₁eh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.

Milky Way (English): The Milky Way Galaxy, the galaxy in which Earth is located

Definitions

  1. The Milky Way Galaxy, the galaxy in which Earth is located

Ancestry of “Milky Way”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishMilky Wey—
2LatinVia Lacteathe Milky Way
3Latinviāroad, street, path
4Proto-Italic*wiāroad
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwih₁eh₂-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

Words derived from “Milky Way”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wih₁eh₂- →Every word from Proto-Italic *wiā →
Milky Way — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer