Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vestal” come from?

Vestal comes from Latin Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European h₂wes-.

vestal (English): Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of...

Ancestry of “vestal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinVestagoddess of the hearth
2Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂wes-to dwell, live, reside; to stay, spend the night

Words derived from “vestal”

  • vestally
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂wes- →