Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “americanus” come from?

americanus (Latin) comes from Latin America, from Italian Amerigo, from Proto-Germanic *Amalarīks, from Proto-Germanic Haimarīks, from Proto-Germanic rīks, from Proto-Celtic rīxs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rḗǵs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.

Ancestry of “americanus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinAmerica—
2ItalianAmerigo—
3Proto-Germanic*Amalarīks—
4Proto-GermanicHaimarīksHenry
5Proto-Germanicrīksking, ruler
6Proto-Celticrīxsking
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rḗǵsking, ruler
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →