Where does “eternal” come from?
eternal (Middle English) comes from Old French eternal, from Latin aeternālis, from Latin aeternus, from Latin aevum, from Latin aevom, from Old Latin aivom, from Proto-Italic aiwom, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eyu- — vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning.
eternal (Middle English): Eternal, permanent; having existed forever;...
Definitions
- Eternal, permanent; having existed forever;...
Ancestry of “eternal”, step by step
eternal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French eternal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | eternal | — |
| 2 | Latin | aeternālis | eternal, everlasting, temporally infinite |
| 3 | Latin | aeternus | abiding, lasting, permanent, perpetual; eternal,... |
| 4 | Latin | aevum | time as a single, unified, continuous and... |
| 5 | Latin | aevom | Archaic form of aevum |
| 6 | Old Latin | aivom | time, lifetime; age |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | aiwom | age |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |
via Middle French eternal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | eternal | — |