Where does “دیو” come from?
دیو (Persian) comes from Middle Persian 𐫅𐫏𐫇, from Old Persian 𐎭𐎡𐎺, from Proto-Iranian daywáh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian daywás, from Proto-Indo-European deywós, from Proto-Indo-European dyew- — to be bright; sky, heaven.
دیو (Persian): demon; daeva
Ancestry of “دیو”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Persian | 𐫅𐫏𐫇 | — |
| 2 | Old Persian | 𐎭𐎡𐎺 | foreign god, false god |
| 3 | Proto-Iranian | daywáh | demon; malevolent being |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | daywás | god |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | deywós | god |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dyew- | to be bright; sky, heaven |