Where does “downs” come from?
Downs comes from Old Norse dúnn, Old English dūn, Gaulish dunum, and Proto-Celtic dūnom, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to heap or pile up.
downs (English): plural of down; Third-person singular simple...
Definitions
- plural of down; Third-person singular simple...
Ancestry of “downs”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | down | From a higher position to a lower one; downwards;... |
| 2 | Middle English | doune | — |
| 3 | Old English | dūne | hill; down, downward |
| 4 | Old English | adūne | — |
| 5 | Old English | ofdūne | off the hill; down |
| 6 | Old English | dūn | hill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *dūnā | — |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |