Where does “ether” come from?

ether (Old French) comes from Latin aethēr, from Ancient Greek Αἰθήρ, from Ancient Greek αἴθω, from Proto-Hellenic *áitʰō — to ignite.

Ancestry of “ether”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinaethērsky, 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)
2Ancient GreekΑἰθήρUpper Air
3Ancient GreekαἴθωTo ignite, kindle, light; To burn, blaze
4Proto-Hellenic*áitʰōto ignite

Words derived from “ether”

Every word from Proto-Hellenic *áitʰō →Every word from Ancient Greek αἴθω →Every word from Ancient Greek Αἰθήρ →