Where does “disaster” come from?
Disaster comes from Middle French desastre, from Italian disastro, from Latin astrum meaning star, with the prefix ad- meaning toward, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ád.
disaster (English): An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of...
Definitions
- An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of...
Ancestry of “disaster”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | desastre | disaster |
| 2 | Italian | disastro | disaster; first-person singular present... |
| 3 | Italian | astro | celestial body, star; A person exceptionally... |
| 4 | Latin | astrum | a star |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἄστρον | A celestial body |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἀστήρ | a celestial body; illustrious person; starfish |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | astḗr | star |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂stḗr | star |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eHs- | to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth |