Where does “glass ceiling” come from?

glass ceiling (English) comes from English glass, from Scottish Gaelic glas, from Middle Irish glas, from Old Irish glas, from Proto-Celtic glastos, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰl̥h₃stós, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- — to flourish; green, yellow.

glass ceiling (English): An unwritten, uncodified barrier to further...

Definitions

  1. An unwritten, uncodified barrier to further...

Ancestry of “glass ceiling”, step by step

glass ceiling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English glass

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishglassAn amorphous solid, often transparent substance...
2Scottish Gaelicglasgreen; grey; lock
3Middle Irishglas
4Old Irishglasgreen, greenish; blue, green-blue, grey-blue; the...
5Proto-Celticglastosgreen, blue
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰl̥h₃stós
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow

via English ceiling

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishceilingThe overhead closure of a room; The upper limit...
2Middle Englishcelingpaneling; cover or hanging
3Middle Englishcelento cover or panel walls
4Old Frenchcelerto conceal
5Latincelōto hide (something from someone), cover, keep a secret, conceal

Words derived from “glass ceiling

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃-Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰl̥h₃stósEvery word from Proto-Celtic glastos