Where does “constellation” come from?
constellation (Middle French) comes from Old French constellation, from Latin constellātiō, from Latin cōn-, from Latin cum, from Old Latin com, from Proto-Italic kom, from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm, from Proto-Indo-European ḱe — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...
Ancestry of “constellation”, step by step
constellation traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French constellation
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | constellation | — |
| 2 | Latin | constellātiō | a collection of stars supposed to exert an influence upon human affairs, a constellation |
| 3 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 4 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 5 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 9 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 10 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 11 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 12 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 13 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via Late Latin constellatio
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | constellatio | a collection of stars supposed to exert an... |
| 2 | Latin | -atio | gradus + -ātiō → gradātiō; cor + -ātiō → *corātiō |
| 3 | Latin | -tio | -tion, -ation, -ing |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -ti- | — |