Where does “arctic” come from?
arctic (Romanian) comes from French arctique, from Old French arctique, from Latin arcticus, from Ancient Greek ἀρκτικός, from Ancient Greek -ικός, from Ancient Greek -κός, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
arctic (Romanian): Arctic
Ancestry of “arctic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | arctique | Arctic |
| 2 | Old French | arctique | — |
| 3 | Latin | arcticus | northern, arctic |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀρκτικός | having to do with the Great Bear; northern lands;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ικός | of or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -κός | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |