Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “eye-opener” come from?

eye-opener (English) comes from English opener, from English open, from Middle English open, from Old English open, from Proto-West Germanic *opan, from Proto-Germanic upanaz, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.

eye-opener (English): Something that causes the eyes to open, or that...

Definitions

  1. Something that causes the eyes to open, or that...

Ancestry of “eye-opener”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishopenerA person who opens something; A device that opens...
2EnglishopenNot closed; Not physically drawn together,...
3Middle Englishopenopen
4Old Englishopenopen
5Proto-West Germanic*opan—
6Proto-Germanicupanazopen
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “eye-opener”

  • eyeopener
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →