English
astroite
Astroite comes from Latin astroites ‘an unknown kind of precious stone of magical…’, from Ancient Greek ἀστήρ ‘star’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂stḗr1‘star’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*astḗr1‘star’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀστήρ2astḗr‘star’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀστροίτης2
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEastroites3‘an unknown kind of precious stone of magical power’
- Englishtodayastroite3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἀστήρ
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin astroites
- 3 Wiktionary, English astroite
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂stḗrWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἀστήρ‘star’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*astḗrWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἀστήρ‘star’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀστήρWiktionary, Latin astroitesastḗr‘star’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀστροίτηςWiktionary, Latin astroites
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEastroitesWiktionary, English astroite‘an unknown kind of precious stone of magical power’
- EnglishtodayastroiteWiktionary, English astroite
The story
Latin astroites: compare French astroite.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₁s- ‘to burn, glow’
constellation, stellate, 18 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr ‘star’
star, disaster, sterling, stellar, stella, 23 more
through Proto-Hellenic *astḗr ‘star’
through Ancient Greek ἀστήρ ‘star’
Today it means
noun A radiated fossil or stone; a starstone.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “astroite”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek ἀστήρ, Latin astroites. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr / astroite