Where does “spéirbhean” come from?
spéirbhean (Irish) comes from Irish spéir, from Middle Irish spéir, from Latin sphēra, from Ancient Greek σφαῖρα, from Ancient Greek -ειδής, from Ancient Greek -ής, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs, from Proto-Indo-European -ess — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
spéirbhean (Irish): beautiful woman, fair lady
Definitions
- beautiful woman, fair lady
Ancestry of “spéirbhean”, step by step
spéirbhean traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Irish spéir
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irish | spéir | sky; air; airiness, brightness, light; sphere,... |
| 2 | Middle Irish | spéir | — |
| 3 | Latin | sphēra | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | σφαῖρα | ball, globe, sphere |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ειδής | like, connected to, from the nature of, full of;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |