Where does “shadow play” come from?

shadow play (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.

shadow play (English): An ancient form of storytelling and entertainment...

Definitions

  1. An ancient form of storytelling and entertainment...

Ancestry of “shadow play”, step by step

shadow play 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 play

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishplayTo act in a manner such that one has fun; to...
2Middle EnglishpleyeHappiness, mirth, jolliness, or gaiety; Fun,...
3Old Englishpleġaexercise
4Proto-West Germanicplegōcare; an exercise; a game
5Proto-West GermanicCreates adverbs from adjectives; Creates agent...
6Proto-Germanic-ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade...
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanDerives nouns from roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱosEvery word from English -yEvery word from Old English -iġ
shadow play — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer