Where does “sunspot” come from?
Sunspot comes from English sun plus spot, with sun descending from Old English synn, Proto-Germanic sunnǭ, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European roots related to shining or being visible.
sunspot (English): A region on the sun's surface with a lower...
Definitions
- A region on the sun's surface with a lower...
Ancestry of “sunspot”, step by step
sunspot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spot | A round or irregular patch on the surface of a... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |