Where does “Mezzogiorno” come from?
Mezzogiorno (Italian) comes from Italian giorno, from Latin diurnum, from Latin diurnus, from Latin diēs, from Proto-Italic djēm, from Proto-Italic *djous, from Proto-Indo-European dyḗws, from Proto-Indo-European dyéws — to be bright; sky, heaven.
Mezzogiorno (Italian): Southern Italy including Sardinia and Sicily
Definitions
- Southern Italy including Sardinia and Sicily
Ancestry of “Mezzogiorno”, step by step
Mezzogiorno traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian giorno
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | giorno | day |
| 2 | Latin | diurnum | masculine accusative singular of diurnus; neuter... |
| 3 | Latin | diurnus | of the day; daily; day |
| 4 | Latin | diēs | A day, particularly |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | djēm | accusative singular of *djous |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *djous | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dyḗws | sky, heaven; sky god |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dyéws | sky, heaven |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dyew- | to be bright; sky, heaven |
via Latin merīdiēs
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | merīdiēs | midday, noon |
| 2 | Latin | medīdiēs | — |
| 3 | Latin | medius | middle; half; moderate |
| 4 | Latin | locus | place, spot; a passage of literature; "in the... |
| 5 | Old Latin | stlocus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | stlokos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | stel- | to put, to place; to locate |
via Italian mezzo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | mezzo | half, middle; means, method; vehicle |