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 (c.1765–1829), British mineralogist and chemist whose bequest was used to set up the Smithsonian Institution in the United States
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to James Smithson (c.1765–1829), British mineralogist and chemist whose bequest was used to set up the Smithsonian Institution in the United States
Ancestry of “Smithsonian”, step by step
Smithsonian traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Smithson
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Smithson | for a son of a smith |
| 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 | — |
via English ian
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ian | — |
| 2 | Irish | Eoin | John any of several people in the Bible |
| 3 | Old Irish | Iohain | John apostle |
| 4 | Latin | Iōannēs | John biblical persons |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Ἰωάννης | — |
| 6 | Hebrew | יוחנן | Yahweh is gracious |
| 7 | Hebrew | חנון | gracious, merciful, compassionate; passive... |
| 8 | Moroccan Arabic | خنونة | mucus, snot |
| 9 | Arabic | خُنَّة | — |