Where does “Smithsonian” come from?
Smithsonian derives from English Smithson, English smith, Latin -ius, Latin -um, Latin -us, and Proto-Indo-European smēy- meaning to smite or strike, with the suffix Proto-Indo-European -eh₂.
Smithsonian (English): Of or pertaining to James Smithson , British...
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to James Smithson , British...
Ancestry of “Smithsonian”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Smithson | — |
| 2 | English | Sơn | — |
| 3 | Middle English | sone | son; soon; Alternative form of sonne |
| 4 | Old English | sōna | immediately, at once |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | sān(ō) | immediately |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sēna | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *sa | — |
| 8 | Proto-Austronesian | *əsa | — |
| 9 | Proto-Oceanic | *isa | — |