Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stellar” come from?

Stellar comes from Latin stellaris, an adjective derived from Latin stella meaning "star," which traces back to Proto-Indo-European h₂stḗr with the same meaning.

stellar (English): Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of stars;...

Definitions

  1. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of stars;...

Ancestry of “stellar”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinstellarisOf or pertaining to a star; stellar, starry
2Latinstēlla—
3Proto-Italicstērolāstar
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂stḗrstar
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eHs-to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth

Words derived from “stellar”

  • interstellar
  • circumstellar
  • protostellar
  • substellar
  • stellarator
  • prestellar
  • quasistellar
  • nonstellar
  • stellarity
  • epistellar
  • superstellar
  • stellarly
  • stellarcentric
  • panstellar
  • stellarator
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eHs- →