Etymograph

English

sunbow

From sun + bow.

A compound of sun + bow

Proto-West Germanic *sunnā

Old English sunna

Middle English soen

English sun

Proto-Indo-European *bʰewgʰ- ‘to bend’

Proto-Indo-European *bʰugʰ-

Proto-Germanic *bugô ‘bow (weapon)’

Old English boga ‘bow (weapon)’

Middle English bowe

English bow

Today it means

noun A bow or arc of prismatic colors like a rainbow, caused by refraction through a spray of water from a cataract, waterfall, fountain, etc., rather than through droplets of rain.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “sunbow”. 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 / sunbow