Where does “sunflower” come from?
Sunflower comes from English sun and English flow, ultimately tracing through Chinese 兒, Latin florem meaning "flower," Latin -are, Latin -arius, and Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.
sunflower (English): Any plant of the genus "Helianthus", so called...
Definitions
- Any plant of the genus "Helianthus", so called...
Ancestry of “sunflower”, step by step
sunflower traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English flower
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flower | A colorful, conspicuous structure associated with... |
| 2 | Middle English | flour | A flower; A depiction or likeness of a flower;... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | flur | Alternative form of flor |
| 4 | Old French | flor | flower |
| 5 | Latin | flōs | flower, blossom |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | flōs | flower, blossom |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃-s | flower, blossom |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |