Where does “gold star” come from?

gold star (English) comes from English star, from Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra, from Proto-West Germanic sterrō, from Proto-Germanic sternô, from Proto-Indo-European h₂stḗr, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eHs- — to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth.

gold star (English): An award for outstanding achievement; A relative...

Definitions

  1. An award for outstanding achievement; A relative...

Ancestry of “gold star”, step by step

gold star traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English star

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishstarAny small luminous dot appearing in the cloudless...
2Middle Englishsterrestar
3Old Englishsteorrastar
4Proto-West Germanicsterrō
5Proto-Germanicsternôstar
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂stḗrstar
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eHs-to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth

via English Gold

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishGoldfor a goldsmith or a rich man
2Middle Englishgoldgold metal
3Old Englishgoldgold
4Proto-Germanicgulþągold
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰl̥tómgold
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow

Words derived from “gold star

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eHs-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂stḗrEvery word from Proto-Germanic sternô