Where does “meridional” come from?
meridional (Middle French) comes from Latin merīdiōnālis, from Latin merīdiēs, from Latin medīdiēs, from Latin diēs, from Proto-Italic djēm, from Proto-Italic *djous, from Proto-Indo-European dyḗws, from Proto-Indo-European dyéws — to be bright; sky, heaven.
Ancestry of “meridional”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | merīdiōnālis | southern |
| 2 | Latin | merīdiēs | midday, noon |
| 3 | Latin | medīdiēs | — |
| 4 | Latin | diēs | A day, particularly |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | djēm | accusative singular of *djous |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *djous | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dyḗws | sky, heaven; sky god |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dyéws | sky, heaven |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dyew- | to be bright; sky, heaven |