Where does “ray” come from?
Ray comes from Old French raie, from Latin raia, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European h₂reh₁-, a root also reflected in Frankish reida and Latin redum through Medieval Latin arredo.
ray (English): A beam of light or radiation; A rib-like...
Definitions
- A beam of light or radiation; A rib-like...
Ancestry of “ray”, step by step
ray traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English rayȝe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | rayȝe | — |
| 2 | Old French | raie | ray |
| 3 | Frankish | hrātu | honeycomb |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hrētō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥t- | to twist, weave |
via Middle English raye
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | raye | — |