Where does “star” come from?

Star comes from Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra, from Proto-Germanic sternô, from Proto-Indo-European h₂stḗr, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root h₂eHs-.

star (English): Any small luminous dot appearing in the cloudless...

Definitions

  1. Any small luminous dot appearing in the cloudless...

Ancestry of “star”, step by step

star traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English sterre

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsterrestar
2Old Englishsteorrastar
3Proto-West Germanicsterrō—
4Proto-Germanicsternôstar
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂stḗrstar
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eHs-to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth

via Latin stēlla

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinstēllaa star; a constellation
2Proto-Italicstērolāstar

Words derived from “star”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eHs- →
star — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer