Where does “reflector” come from?
Reflector comes from Old French reflectour, from Latin reflector, an agent noun from reflecto meaning "to bend back," from re- "back" and a root meaning "to turn" that traces to Proto-Indo-European wer-.
reflector (English): Something which reflects heat, light or sound,...
Definitions
- Something which reflects heat, light or sound,...
Ancestry of “reflector”, step by step
reflector traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English reflect
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | reflect | To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface |
| 2 | Old French | reflecter | — |
| 3 | Latin | reflectō | to turn back or away; yield; retreat |
| 4 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 5 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 6 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English ‐or
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ‐or | Creates an agent noun, often from a verb, indicating a person or object (often machines or parts of them) that do the verb or part of speech with which they are formed |
| 2 | Middle English | -our | — |
| 3 | Old French | -eor | Alternative form of -or |
| 4 | Latin | -ator | -ator, -er; second-person singular future passive... |
| 5 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |