Etymograph

English

zodiacal

Zodiacal comes from Latin zōdiacus ‘of or pertaining to the zodiac’, from Ancient Greek ζῳδῐᾰκός ‘of or relating to little animals’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- ‘to live’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷeyh₃-‘to live’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷyéh₃-w-osreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*d͏̌ōwósreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEζωόςzōós‘alive’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEζώῐ̈ονzṓĭ̈on‘Ionic form of ζῷον (zōîon)’
  6. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEζῷον‘animal’
  7. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEζῴδῐον‘little animal’
  8. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEζῳδῐᾰκός‘of or relating to little animals’
  9. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEzōdiacus‘of or pertaining to the zodiac’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1683zodiacal

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷeyh₃-‘to live’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷyéh₃-w-osreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*d͏̌ōwósreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEζωόςzōós‘alive’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEζώῐ̈ονzṓĭ̈on‘Ionic form of ζῷον (zōîon)’
  6. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEζῷον‘animal’
  7. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEζῴδῐον‘little animal’
  8. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEζῳδῐᾰκός‘of or relating to little animals’
  9. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEzōdiacus‘of or pertaining to the zodiac’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1683zodiacal

Earliest quotation: 1683, Thomas Browne, Observations upon Several Plants Mention’d in Scripture: “[…] in some passages of the Old Testament they…”

Formed from zōdiacus + -al

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- ‘to live’

quick, biology, couch, vital, kidney, vitamin, hygiene, viable, vivid, revive, anaerobic, vive, vivacious, biogenesis, wyvern, vivacity, convivial, 61 more

Today it means

adj Of or pertaining to the zodiac.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- / zodiacal

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