Where does “Via Lactea” come from?

Via Lactea (Latin) comes from Latin viā, from Proto-Italic *wiā, from Proto-Indo-European wih₁eh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.

Via Lactea (Latin): the Milky Way

Definitions

  1. the Milky Way

Ancestry of “Via Lactea”, step by step

Via Lactea traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin viā

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinviāroad, street, path
2Proto-Italic*wiāroad
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwih₁eh₂-—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

via Ancient Greek γαλαξίας

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekγαλαξίαςthe Milky Way galaxy; tailor's chalk; dogfish
2Ancient Greekγάλαmilk; milky sap; the Milky Way galaxy
3Proto-Indo-Europeanglakt-—

via Latin lacteus

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinlacteusOf or pertaining to milk; milky; Full of milk;...
2Latin-eusargentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →...
3Proto-Italic*-eosForms adjectives indicating being formed out of a material

Words derived from “Via Lactea”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- →
Via Lactea — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer