Where does “meridian” come from?
Meridian comes from Middle English meridian, from Anglo-Norman meridien, from Latin meridianus, an adjective derived from meridies meaning "midday," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European médʰyos meaning "middle."
meridian (English): The south; Midday, noon; A great circle passing...
Definitions
- The south; Midday, noon; A great circle passing...
Ancestry of “meridian”, step by step
meridian traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English meridian
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | meridian | — |
| 2 | Middle French | meridien | midday; the south; celestial meridian |
| 3 | Latin | meridianus | midday, noon; southern |
| 4 | Latin | merīdiēs | midday, noon |
| 5 | Latin | medīdiēs | — |
| 6 | Latin | diēs | A day, particularly |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | djēm | accusative singular of *djous |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *djous | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dyḗws | sky, heaven; sky god |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dyéws | sky, heaven |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dyew- | to be bright; sky, heaven |
via French méridien
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | méridien | meridian all senses |
via German Meridian
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Meridian | meridian |