Where does “dust” come from?
dust (Middle Low German) comes from Old French joste, from Latin juxta, from Latin iuxta, from Proto-Italic jougestād, from Proto-Italic jougestos, from Proto-Italic jougos, from Proto-Indo-European yéwgos, from Proto-Indo-European yewg- — to join, to yoke, to tie together.
Ancestry of “dust”, step by step
dust traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French joste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | joste | joust |
| 2 | Latin | juxta | Alternative form of iū̆xtā; near to, nigh |
| 3 | Latin | iuxta | nearly; near, close to; just as |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | jougestād | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | jougestos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | jougos | yoked animals, team |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yéwgos | team, pair of yoked animals |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yewg- | to join, to yoke, to tie together |