Etymology Explorer › Russian

Where does “зелёный” come from?

зелёный (Russian) comes from Proto-Slavic zelenъ, from Proto-Slavic zelti, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- — to flourish; green, yellow.

зелёный (Russian): green; inexperienced, raw; sickly, deathly pale

Definitions

  1. green; inexperienced, raw; sickly, deathly pale

Ancestry of “зелёный”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slaviczelenъgreen
2Proto-Slaviczelti—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow

Words derived from “зелёный”

  • тёмно-зелёный
  • зеленеть
  • зелёнка
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- →