Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “dew” come from?

dew (Middle English) comes from Old English dēaw, from Proto-West Germanic *dauw, from Proto-Germanic *dawwaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

dew (Middle English): dew; moisture present on plants; A rejuvenating...

Definitions

  1. dew; moisture present on plants; A rejuvenating...

Ancestry of “dew”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishdēawdew
2Proto-West Germanic*dauw—
3Proto-Germanic*dawwaz—
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “dew”

  • due
  • dew
  • undue
  • unduly
  • overdue
  • deuce
  • deuced
  • bedewed
  • honeydew
  • deucedly
  • dewberry
  • sundew
  • dewless
  • dewfall
  • dewlike
  • unbedewed
  • duebill
  • dueness
  • undueness
  • dewworm
  • dewshine
  • dewretting
  • dueful
  • peppadew
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →