Where does “cosmonaut” come from?
cosmonaut (English) comes from Russian космона́вт, from Ancient Greek ναύτης, from Ancient Greek -τής, from Ancient Greek πεῖρα, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
cosmonaut (English): An astronaut, especially a Russian or Soviet one
Definitions
- An astronaut, especially a Russian or Soviet one
Ancestry of “cosmonaut”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russian | космона́вт | cosmonaut (the Russian or Soviet equivalent of an astronaut) |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ναύτης | sailor, seaman; companion at sea |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -τής | Appended to verbs to form agent nouns |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πεῖρα | trial, experiment, attempt |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |