Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “eclipse” come from?

Eclipse comes from Old French eclipse, from Latin eclipsis, from Ancient Greek ἔκλειψις, a noun formation with the suffix -σις from ἐκ- meaning "out" and the root leykʷ- meaning "to leave" or "fail."

eclipse (English): An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one...

Definitions

  1. An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one...

Ancestry of “eclipse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frencheclipseeclipse
2Latineclīpsis—
3Ancient Greekἔκλειψιςdisappearance, abandonment; especially...
4Ancient GreekἐκλείπωI leave out, pass over; I forsake, desert,...
5Ancient GreekἐκOut of, from; from, with the source of; to denote...
6Proto-Hellenic*eks—

Words derived from “eclipse”

  • eclipseth
  • eclipselike
  • eclipsable
  • uneclipsable
  • eclipsest
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *eks →