Etymology Explorer › English

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”

  • vastly
  • vastness
  • vastitude
  • vastity
  • vasten
  • ultravast
  • disvastigi
  • vasta
  • malvasta
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁weh₂- →