Where does “Ray” come from?
Ray comes from Persian ری, from Middle Persian ldy, from Old Persian 𐎼𐎥𐎠, though the original meaning remains uncertain.
Ray (English): also used as a formal given name
Definitions
- also used as a formal given name
Ancestry of “Ray”, step by step
Ray traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English rayen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | rayen | — |
| 2 | English | array | Clothing and ornamentation; A collection laid out... |
| 3 | Middle English | arrayen | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | arraier | — |
| 5 | Latin | arrēdō | To advise |
| 6 | Gothic | 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 | appointed, ordained |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | garaidaz | ready, arranged, prepared |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 11 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 12 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 13 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 14 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 15 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
via Old French rei
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | rei | Alternative form of roi |
| 2 | Latin | rete | net, snare, network; trap; The internet |
| 3 | Latin | retina | a rein; medieval spelling of rēsīna |
| 4 | Latin | retinaculum | holdfast, tether, halter, hawser, band |
| 5 | Latin | retinere | present active infinitive of retineō;... |
| 6 | Latin | retineo | I keep or hold back, detain, restrain, retain,... |
| 7 | Latin | re- | back, backwards; again; prefix added to various... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wret- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |