Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “downness” come from?

downness (English) comes from English Down, from Middle English doun, from Old English dūn, from Proto-Germanic *dūnā, from Proto-Celtic dūnom, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

downness (English): The property of being a down quark

Definitions

  1. The property of being a down quark

Ancestry of “downness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDown—
2Middle Englishdoundown
3Old Englishdūnhill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain
4Proto-Germanic*dūnā—
5Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →