Where does “perihelion” come from?
Perihelion comes from Ancient Greek περί- (peri-, meaning "around") and -ον (-on), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -os.
perihelion (English): The point in the elliptical orbit of a comet,...
Definitions
- The point in the elliptical orbit of a comet,...
Ancestry of “perihelion”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | perihelium | Synonym of perihelion |
| 2 | Latin | perihelium | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | περῐ- | around; very; round about |
| 4 | New Latin | helium | helium |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Ἥλιος | sun |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τύπος | A blow, pressing; The results of a blow: mark,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | τύπτω | to beat, strike, smite; to beat, strike oneself |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewp- | to push, to stick |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |