Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “lanterna magica” come from?

lanterna magica (Latin) comes from Latin magica, from Latin magicus, from Ancient Greek μαγικός, from Ancient Greek Μάγος, from Old Persian 𐎶𐎦𐏁, from Proto-Iranian magúš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian magʰúš, from Proto-Indo-European megʰ-ú-s — to be able.

lanterna magica (Latin): magic lantern, a primitive slide projector

Definitions

  1. magic lantern, a primitive slide projector

Ancestry of “lanterna magica”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinmagicanominative feminine singular of magicus;...
2Latinmagicusmagic, magical
3Ancient Greekμαγικόςmagical
4Ancient GreekΜάγοςmagician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,...
5Old Persian𐎶𐎦𐏁priest
6Proto-Iranianmagúš—
7Proto-Indo-Iranianmagʰúš—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmegʰ-ú-s—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmegʰ-to be able
Every word from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- →