Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dew” come from?

Dew comes from Middle English dewe, from Latin deus meaning "god," combined with the Latin diminutive suffix -inus.

dew (English): Any moisture from the atmosphere condensed by...

Definitions

  1. Any moisture from the atmosphere condensed by...

Ancestry of “dew”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdewdew; moisture present on plants; A rejuvenating...
2Old Englishdēawdew
3Proto-West Germanic*dauw—
4Proto-Germanic*dawwaz—
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “dew”

  • bedewed
  • honeydew
  • dewberry
  • sundew
  • dewless
  • dewfall
  • dewlike
  • unbedewed
  • dewworm
  • dewshine
  • dewretting
  • dewret
  • peppadew
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →