Where does “moonlit” come from?
Moonlit comes from English moon and English lit, with lit deriving from Old English lēoht meaning "light," which traces to Proto-Indo-European leuk- meaning "to shine."
moonlit (English): Lit by moonlight
Definitions
- Lit by moonlight
Ancestry of “moonlit”, step by step
moonlit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Moon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Moon | The Earth's moon; the sole natural satellite of the Earth, represented in astronomy and astrology by ☾ |
| 2 | Middle English | Mone | A lamentation; a sorrowful moan or expression |
| 3 | Old English | mān | bad, criminal, false; shameful act; crime;... |
| 4 | Sanskrit | महादेव | the "great God" |
| 5 | Sanskrit | महा | combining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | maźʰā́ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | maȷ́ʰā́ | big, great |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |
via English lit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lit | simple past tense and past participle of light;... |
| 2 | Middle English | lit | Alternative form of light |
| 3 | Old English | lȳt | little, few |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lūtilaz | bent; tending to stoop; crouching; little |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |