Where does “asteroid” come from?
asteroid (Romanian) comes from French astéroïde, from English asteroid, from Ancient Greek ἀστεροειδής, from Ancient Greek εἶδος, from Spanish -scopio, from Latin -scopium, from Ancient Greek σκοπέω, from Ancient Greek σκοπός — to see, to look, to observe.
asteroid (Romanian): asteroid
Definitions
- asteroid
Ancestry of “asteroid”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | astéroïde | asteroid |
| 2 | English | asteroid | Any member of the taxonomic class Asteroidea; a... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀστεροειδής | starlike |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | εἶδος | That which is seen: form, image, shape;... |
| 5 | Spanish | -scopio | -scope |
| 6 | Latin | -scopium | — |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | σκοπέω | I look, look at, behold; I examine, inspect; 413... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | σκοπός | watcher, lookout; protector, guardian; spy, scout |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | σκέπτομαι | I look at, examine; I examine, consider, think |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | sképťomai | to look at |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | spéḱyeti | to be looking at, to keep looking at |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |