Where does “etherous” come from?
etherous (English) comes from English ous, from English ou, from Afrikaans ou, from Dutch oud, from Middle Dutch out, from Old Dutch ald, from Proto-West Germanic ald, from Proto-Germanic aldaz — to grow, nourish.
Ancestry of “etherous”, step by step
etherous traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ous
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ous | plural of ou |
| 2 | English | ou | A probably extinct species of Hawaiian... |
| 3 | Afrikaans | ou | An old fellow, guy, bloke; attributive form of... |
| 4 | Dutch | oud | old |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | out | old |
| 6 | Old Dutch | ald | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | ald | old |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | aldaz | old, grown up |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eltós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | to grow, nourish |
via English Ether
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ether | The god-personification of the bright, glowing upper air of heaven. He is the Roman counterpart of Aether |
| 2 | Old French | ether | — |
| 3 | Latin | aethēr | sky, ether (distinct in this sense from caelum, which is where the night's stars are, but not always distinguished from āēr; always distinct from the underworld) |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | Αἰθήρ | Upper Air |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | αἴθω | To ignite, kindle, light; To burn, blaze |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | *áitʰō | to ignite |