Where does “disastrous” come from?
Disastrous comes from French désastreux, from Middle French desastre, from Italian disastro, from Latin astrum meaning star, ultimately from Ancient Greek ἀστήρ, with the prefix ad- attached.
disastrous (English): Of the nature of a disaster; calamitous;...
Definitions
- Of the nature of a disaster; calamitous;...
Ancestry of “disastrous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | disaster | An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of... |
| 2 | Middle French | desastre | disaster |
| 3 | Italian | disastro | disaster; first-person singular present... |
| 4 | Italian | astro | celestial body, star; A person exceptionally... |
| 5 | Latin | astrum | a star |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἄστρον | A celestial body |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἀστήρ | a celestial body; illustrious person; starfish |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | astḗr | star |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂stḗr | star |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eHs- | to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth |