Where does “comet” come from?
Comet comes from Middle English comete, Old English comēta, Old French comete, and Latin cometes, from Ancient Greek κομήτης, ultimately derived from κόμη meaning hair.
comet (English): A celestial body consisting mainly of ice, dust...
Definitions
- A celestial body consisting mainly of ice, dust...
Ancestry of “comet”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | comete | — |
| 2 | Old French | comete | — |
| 3 | Latin | cometes | A comet, meteor, shooting star; A portent of... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | κομήτης | long-haired; long-haired; comet; longhaired |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κόμη | hair of the head |
| 6 | Latin | κομεω | to care for |
Words derived from “comet”