Where does “varnishy” come from?
varnishy (English) comes from English varnish, from Middle English vernisch, from Old French vernis, from Medieval Latin vernix, from Latin veronix, from Byzantine Greek βερονίκη, from Ancient Greek βερονίκιον, from Ancient Greek Βερενίκη — shiny, light brown.
varnishy (English): Resembling or characteristic of varnish
Definitions
- Resembling or characteristic of varnish
Ancestry of “varnishy”, step by step
varnishy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English varnish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | varnish | A type of paint with a solvent that evaporates to... |
| 2 | Middle English | vernisch | — |
| 3 | Old French | vernis | — |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | vernix | varnish; resin |
| 5 | Latin | veronix | — |
| 6 | Byzantine Greek | βερονίκη | resin amber |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | βερονίκιον | soda |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | Βερενίκη | a city in Lybia; bringer of victory |
| 9 | Ancient Macedonian | Βερενῑ́κη | — |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | φέρω | I bring, bear, carry |
| 11 | Proto-Hellenic | pʰérō | to bear |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰéreti | to be carrying |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰēr- | shiny, light brown |
via English Y
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Y | A figure or mark in the shape of the letter Y; A... |
| 2 | English | yuri | A narrative or visual work featuring a romance or... |
| 3 | Japanese | 百合 | lily |
| 4 | Japanese | 連用形 | an inflectional category: the continuative or... |
| 5 | Japanese | 見る | to see, to watch, to observe, to look at... |
| 6 | Japanese | 夢 | a dream; a vision; leaving reality to the state... |
| 7 | Old Japanese | 夢 | a dream |
| 8 | Japanese | 目 | an order in biology: smaller than a class, bigger... |
| 9 | Middle Chinese | 目 | — |