Where does “rainshadow” come from?

rainshadow (English) comes from English shadow, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

rainshadow (English): An area which is unusually dry due to nearby...

Definitions

  1. An area which is unusually dry due to nearby...

Ancestry of “rainshadow”, step by step

rainshadow traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English shadow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshadowA dark image projected onto a surface where light...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English rain

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrainCondensed water falling from a cloud; Any matter...
2Middle Englishreynrain water falling from a cloud
3Old Englishreġnrain
4Proto-West Germanicregnrain
5Proto-Germanicregnąrain
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreǵ-to flow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱosEvery word from English -yEvery word from Old English -iġ
rainshadow — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer