Where does “gossamer” come from?
Gossamer comes from Middle English gossomer, from Middle English goos (goose) and Old English gōs (goose), from Latin sagmarius, formed with the Latin suffix -arius, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sm̥-h₂-ó- and Ancient Greek σάττω.
gossamer (English): A fine film or strand as of cobwebs, floating in...
Definitions
- A fine film or strand as of cobwebs, floating in...
Ancestry of “gossamer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | gossomer | gossamer; Anything that is of little value or... |
| 2 | Middle English | somer | summer |
| 3 | Old English | sumor | summer |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | sumar | summer |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sumaraz | summer |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥m-aro- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥-h₂-ó- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | semh₂- | summer, year |