Where does “小惑星” come from?
小惑星 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 惑星, from Dutch dwaalster, from Dutch ster, from French étoile, from Middle French estoile, from Old French estoile, from Latin stēla, from Latin stēlla — to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth.
小惑星 (Japanese): an asteroid
Ancestry of “小惑星”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 惑星 | planet; a dark horse |
| 2 | Dutch | dwaalster | planet, wanderstar |
| 3 | Dutch | ster | star; any luminous astronomical or meteorological... |
| 4 | French | étoile | star; mullet; a white mark on the forehead of a... |
| 5 | Middle French | estoile | star |
| 6 | Old French | estoile | star |
| 7 | Latin | stēla | — |
| 8 | Latin | stēlla | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | stērolā | star |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂stḗr | star |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eHs- | to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth |