Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “buoyant” come from?

Buoyant comes from English buoy plus the suffix -ant, from Italian -ente, Middle Dutch boeye, Latin boia meaning chain or shackle, and Proto-Indo-European roots bʰā- and bʰeh₂-.

buoyant (English): Having buoyancy; able to float; Lighthearted and...

Definitions

  1. Having buoyancy; able to float; Lighthearted and...

Ancestry of “buoyant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbuoyA float moored in water to mark a location, warn...
2Middle Englishboy—
3Middle Dutchboeyelife buoy; float, buoy; shackle, fetter
4Old Frenchboiebond, chain; fetter, chain, clog
5Latinboiafetter, collar for the neck
6Ancient Greekβοείηox hide
7Ancient Greekβοῦςcow, ox, cattle; shield: ὃτι ἐκ βοείων ἐστι...
8LatincorvusA raven; a bird associated with prophecy and...
9Proto-Italickorwos—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱorh₂wós—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
12Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
13Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army

Words derived from “buoyant”

  • buoyancy
  • buoyantly
  • buoyance
  • nonbuoyant
  • unbuoyant
  • semibuoyant
  • unbuoyancy
  • unbuoyantly
  • superbuoyant
  • overbuoyant
  • overbuoyancy
  • buoyantness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker- →