Where does “starlit” come from?
Starlit comes from English star and English lit, with star deriving from Old Norse stjarna, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂stḗr meaning "star."
starlit (English): Illuminated by starlight
Definitions
- Illuminated by starlight
Ancestry of “starlit”, step by step
starlit 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 lit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lit | simple past tense and past participle of light;... |
| 2 | Middle English | lit | Alternative form of light |
| 3 | Old English | lȳt | little, few |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lūtilaz | bent; tending to stoop; crouching; little |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |