English
luminous
Luminous comes from Latin lūminōsus ‘bright, luminous, full of light’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *lewk-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-‘bright’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*léwksmn̥reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*louksmənreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūmen‘light’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElūminōsus‘bright, luminous, full of light’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600lumineus
- Englishearliest quotation 1834luminous
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-‘bright’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*léwksmn̥reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*louksmənreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūmen‘light’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElūminōsus‘bright, luminous, full of light’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600lumineus
- Englishearliest quotation 1834luminous
Earliest quotation: 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Richard Bentley: “The moon, which had been slowly ascending, now shone…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’
light, low, los, link, lucy, ounce, lea, lunar, luna, translucent, lux, lynx, lucid, luce, loach, lune, leucine, lum, 79 more
through Latin lūmen ‘light’
Today it means
adj Emitting light; glowing brightly; shining.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewk- / luminous