Where does “footlights” come from?
Footlights combines English foot with English light, which derives from Old English lēoht, from Proto-Germanic liuhtijaną and Proto-Indo-European lewktom, while foot traces to Proto-Indo-European pṓds meaning foot.
footlights (English): plural of footlight
Definitions
- plural of footlight
Ancestry of “footlights”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | footlight | A stage light located at the front edge of the... |
| 2 | English | foot | A biological structure found in many animals that... |
| 3 | Middle English | fot | foot; The bottom, lower part or foundation of... |
| 4 | Old English | fōt | foot |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | fōt | foot |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fōts | foot |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pṓds | foot |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | póds | foot |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ped- | to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall |