Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Zenobia” come from?

Zenobia comes from Latin Zenobia, from Ancient Greek Ζηνοβία, derived from Ζήν and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dyew-, the root for sky or shine.

Ancestry of “Zenobia”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinZenobia—
2Ancient GreekΖηνοβία—
3Ancient GreekΖήνZeus
4Proto-Indo-Europeandyḗm—
5Proto-Indo-Europeandyḗwssky, heaven; sky god
6Proto-Indo-Europeandyéws—
7Proto-Indo-Europeandyew-to be bright; sky, heaven
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dyew- →