Etymology Explorer › Russian

Where does “желтеть” come from?

желтеть (Russian) comes from Russian жёлтый, from Old East Slavic жьлтъ, from Proto-Slavic žьltъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic gilˀtas, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- — to flourish; green, yellow.

Ancestry of “желтеть”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianжёлтыйyellow
2Old East Slavicжьлтъ—
3Proto-Slavicžьltъyellow
4Proto-Balto-Slavicgilˀtas—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow

Words derived from “желтеть”

  • пожелтеть
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- →