Where does “downy” come from?
Downy comes from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, Latin -ia, Latin -ivus, Latin -ia, Proto-Indo-European -kos, and Proto-Indo-European h₂epo.
downy (English): Having down, covered with a soft fuzzy coating as...
Definitions
- Having down, covered with a soft fuzzy coating as...
Ancestry of “downy”, step by step
downy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Down
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Down | usually known as County Down |
| 2 | Middle English | doun | down |
| 3 | Old English | dūn | hill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *dūnā | — |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via Old Polish dawny
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Polish | dawny | distant, ancient, old |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | davьnъ | ancient, past |
Words derived from “downy”