Where does “starburst” come from?
Starburst is a compound of star and burst, where star derives from Middle English sterre, Old English steorra, Proto-Germanic sternô, and Proto-Indo-European h₂stḗr, meaning a celestial body.
starburst (English): A violent explosion, or the pattern supposed to...
Definitions
- A violent explosion, or the pattern supposed to...
Ancestry of “starburst”, step by step
starburst traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English star
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | star | Any small luminous dot appearing in the cloudless... |
| 2 | Middle English | sterre | star |
| 3 | Old English | steorra | star |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | sterrō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sternô | star |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂stḗr | star |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eHs- | to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth |
via English burst
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | burst | To break from internal pressure; To cause to... |
| 2 | Middle English | bresten | To burst break from internal pressure |
| 3 | Old English | berstan | to break, shatter, burst |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *brestan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | brestaną | to burst, break, sunder, split, crack |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰres‑ | to burst; break; crack; crackle |