Where does “sunlit” come from?

Sunlit combines English sun with English lit, where lit derives from Old English and ultimately Proto-Indo-European lewk- meaning "to shine."

sunlit (English): API on Wikipedia.Wikipedia; Illuminated by...

Definitions

  1. API on Wikipedia.Wikipedia; Illuminated by...

Ancestry of “sunlit”, step by step

sunlit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Sun

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSunAbbreviation of Sunday
2Middle EnglishsunneAlternative form of sonne; sun
3Old Englishsunnesun
4Proto-West Germanicsunnāsun
5Proto-Germanicsunnǭthe sun
6Proto-Indo-Europeansh̥₂uénsun; the Sun
7Proto-Indo-Europeansóh₂wl̥sun

via English lit

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishlitsimple past tense and past participle of light;...
2Middle EnglishlitAlternative form of light
3Old Englishlȳtlittle, few
4Proto-Germaniclūtilazbent; tending to stoop; crouching; little
5Proto-Germanicburgzfortification, stronghold; city
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰr̥ǵʰ-
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sóh₂wl̥