Where does “splashdown” come from?

splashdown (English) comes from English down, from Middle English doune, from Old English dūne, from Old English adūne, from Old English ofdūne, from Old English dūn, from Proto-Germanic *dūnā, from Proto-Celtic dūnom — smoke; mist, haze.

splashdown (English): The act of landing in water, as by a space...

Definitions

  1. The act of landing in water, as by a space...

Ancestry of “splashdown”, step by step

splashdown traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English down

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdownFrom a higher position to a lower one; downwards;...
2Middle Englishdoune
3Old Englishdūnehill; down, downward
4Old Englishadūne
5Old Englishofdūneoff the hill; down
6Old Englishdūnhill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain
7Proto-Germanic*dūnā
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English splash

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsplashThe sound made by an object hitting a liquid; A...
2EnglishplashA small pool of standing water; a puddle; A...
3Middle Englishplasch
4Old Englishplæsċpool, puddle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-
splashdown — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer