Where does “luminary” come from?
Luminary comes from Middle English lūminārī, from Old French luminarie and luminaire, from Medieval Latin luminarium, from Latin luminare meaning "to light," related to the Proto-Indo-European root lewk- meaning "to shine."
luminary (English): One who is an inspiration to others; one who has...
Definitions
- One who is an inspiration to others; one who has...
Ancestry of “luminary”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lūminārī | — |
| 2 | Old French | luminarie | lamp, lights, lighting; candles; brightness,... |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | luminarium | — |
| 4 | Latin | lūmināre | That which gives light; enlightener |
| 5 | Latin | lūmen | light, source of light |
| 6 | English | -escence | a specified process or state |
| 7 | Latin | -escens | — |
| 8 | Latin | -esco | Forms verbs from adjectives meaning "become " |
| 9 | Latin | -eo | Forms stative verbs from adjectives; dative... |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | -ēō | Forms stative verbs, indicating a state of being;... |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | -ējō | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₁yeti | Thematicization of the athematic stative verbal... |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -yeti | Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots |