Where does “underworld” come from?
Underworld derives from Middle English world combined with Old English under-, which traces through Proto-Germanic under and Proto-Indo-European n̥dʰér meaning "under," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂el-.
underworld (English): The world of the dead, located underneath the...
Definitions
- The world of the dead, located underneath the...
Ancestry of “underworld”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | World | The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds |
| 2 | Middle English | world | The world, the planet; A dimension, realm, or... |
| 3 | Old English | weorold | world |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | weraldi | world |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | weraldiz | lifetime, worldly existence; mankind; world |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | weraz | man; husband |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wiHrós | man; husband; warrior, hero |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |