Where does “aqua vitae” come from?

aqua vitae (Medieval Latin) comes from Latin vita, from Latin vivo, from Proto-Italic gʷīwō, from Proto-Indo-European gʷíh₃weti, from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós, from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- — to live.

aqua vitae (Medieval Latin): distilled alcohol; spirits

Definitions

  1. distilled alcohol; spirits

Ancestry of “aqua vitae”, step by step

aqua vitae traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin vita

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinvitalife; living, support, subsistence; a way of life
2LatinvivoI live; I am alive, I survive; I reside in
3Proto-Italicgʷīwōlive, be alive
4Proto-Indo-Europeangʷíh₃wetito live, to be alive
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʷih₃wósalive, living
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʷeih₃w-to live

via Latin aqua

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinaquawater
2Proto-Italicakʷāwater
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ekʷeh₂water, flowing water

Words derived from “aqua vitae”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷíh₃weti →