Where does “dust” come from?
Dust comes from Old English dūst, from Proto-Germanic dunstą, from Proto-Indo-European dʰew-, meaning to rise in clouds or scatter.
dust (English): Fine particles; The act of cleaning by dusting;...
Definitions
- Fine particles; The act of cleaning by dusting;...
Ancestry of “dust”, step by step
dust traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German dust
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | dust | — |
| 2 | Middle Low German | dust | — |
| 3 | Old French | joste | joust |
| 4 | Latin | juxta | Alternative form of iū̆xtā; near to, nigh |
| 5 | Latin | iuxta | nearly; near, close to; just as |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | jougestād | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | jougestos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | jougos | yoked animals, team |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yéwgos | team, pair of yoked animals |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yewg- | to join, to yoke, to tie together |