Where does “Tethys” come from?
Tethys comes from Ancient Greek Τηθύς, derived from Ancient Greek τήθη, which traces to Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁dʰ- and ultimately Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁(y)-, a root of uncertain meaning.
Ancestry of “Tethys”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | Τηθύς | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | τήθη | grandmother |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁dʰ- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁(y)- | to suckle, nurse |