Where does “eter” come from?
eter (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Old Norse etari, from Old Norse eta, from Proto-Germanic etaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₁édti, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- — to eat.
eter (Norwegian Bokmål): an eater; ether; the airwaves
Definitions
- an eater; ether; the airwaves
Ancestry of “eter”, step by step
eter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Norse etari
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | etari | glutton, great eater |
| 2 | Old Norse | eta | crib, manger; cancer; to eat |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | etaną | to eat |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁édti | to eat |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ed- | to eat |
via Latin aethēr
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | aethēr | sky, ether (distinct in this sense from caelum, which is where the night's stars are, but not always distinguished from āēr; always distinct from the underworld) |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | Αἰθήρ | Upper Air |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | αἴθω | To ignite, kindle, light; To burn, blaze |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | *áitʰō | to ignite |