Where does “down-” come from?
down- (Middle English) comes from Old English dūne-, from Old English dūne, from Old English adūne, from Old English ofdūne, from Old English dūn, from Proto-Germanic *dūnā, from Proto-Celtic dūnom, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.
Ancestry of “down-”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | dūne- | down- |
| 2 | Old English | dūne | hill; down, downward |
| 3 | Old English | adūne | — |
| 4 | Old English | ofdūne | off the hill; down |
| 5 | Old English | dūn | hill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *dūnā | — |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
Words derived from “down-”