Where does “vast” come from?

Vast comes from Middle French vaste, from Latin vastus meaning "empty or desolate," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁weh₂-.

vast (English): Very large or wide; Very great in size, amount,...

Definitions

  1. Very large or wide; Very great in size, amount,...

Ancestry of “vast”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchvaste—
2LatinvastusEmpty, unoccupied, i.e. waste, desert; Desolate,...
3Proto-Celticwāstosempty
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁weh₂-to leave, abandon, give out

Words derived from “vast”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁weh₂- →Every word from Proto-Celtic wāstos →Every word from Latin vastus →