English
aurora
Aurora comes from Latin aurōra ‘dawn’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ews-‘to dawn’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éwsōs‘dawn’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaurōra‘dawn’
- Englishearliest quotation 1869aurora
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ews-‘to dawn’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éwsōs‘dawn’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaurōra‘dawn’
- Englishearliest quotation 1869aurora
Earliest quotation: 1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago: “On the evening of our arrival at Muka I…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- ‘to dawn’
or, air, east, plane, aerial, malaria, exhaust, aria, aero, aura, aureus, oriel, aurelia, oriole, austral, aurum, 63 more
Today it means
noun An atmospheric phenomenon created by charged particles from the sun striking the upper atmosphere, creating coloured lights in the sky. It is usually named australis or borealis based on whether it is in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere respectively.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- / aurora