English
lunette
Lunette comes from French lune ‘moon’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-‘bright’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*lówksneh₂‘moon’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*louksnā‘moon’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūna‘a moon’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lune‘the Moon’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘moon’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘moon’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentlunettediminutive of lune
- Englishearliest quotation 1822same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-‘bright’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*lówksneh₂‘moon’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*louksnā‘moon’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūna‘a moon’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lune‘the Moon’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘moon’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘moon’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentlunettediminutive of lune
- Englishearliest quotation 1822same form
Earliest quotation: 1822, Moses Aaron Richardson, The Local Historian's Table Book of Remarkable Occurrences: “The lesser portions of the tablet has over this…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’
light, low, link, los, lucy, lea, ounce, illumination, lynx, translucent, luminous, lux, lucid, illuminate, lumen, luminosity, luce, lumia, loach, lum, leucine, luminary, luminescent, luminal, 74 more
through Proto-Italic *louksnā ‘moon’
through Latin lūna ‘a moon’
Today it means
noun A small opening in a vaulted roof of a circular or crescent shape.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewk- / lunette