New Post
Search
Help
ArchivesAurore/Aurora
I got into a discussion with someone named Aurore who said that their name means “the goldenest of gold” or “very gold” because it is derived from Latin ‘aurum’ (gold), and that the word for dawn in Latin is ‘aurora’ because the sunrise is golden.
Is there any truth to this? I couldn’t find any sources linking aurora and aurum.
～☆February Song Recommendation☆～
Platina Jazz - Altair: http://tinyurl.com/4d46esx2
Is there any truth to this? I couldn’t find any sources linking aurora and aurum.
～☆February Song Recommendation☆～
Platina Jazz - Altair: http://tinyurl.com/4d46esx2
1
Replies
Yes, Latin aurora "dawn" and aurum "gold" are apparently etymologically related.
Etymology of aurum: Rhoticization of earlier ausum, from Proto-Italic *auzom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂é-h₂us-óm (“gold”), from *h₂ews- (“to dawn, become light, become red”).
Etymology of aurora: From Latin aurōra, from an ā-stem extension of Proto-Italic *auzōs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwsōs.
They clearly share the same Proto-Indo-European root (*h₂ews-) and are semantically similar (i.e. "gold" and "dawn" are easy to associate). There is no need, in my opinion, to look deeper for a relationship.
Etymology of aurum: Rhoticization of earlier ausum, from Proto-Italic *auzom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂é-h₂us-óm (“gold”), from *h₂ews- (“to dawn, become light, become red”).
Etymology of aurora: From Latin aurōra, from an ā-stem extension of Proto-Italic *auzōs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwsōs.
They clearly share the same Proto-Indo-European root (*h₂ews-) and are semantically similar (i.e. "gold" and "dawn" are easy to associate). There is no need, in my opinion, to look deeper for a relationship.
This message was edited 2/8/2024, 6:58 AM
4
Some truth is stretching things. The relationship described is as distant as it could be. Plus note that aurum "gold" is a derivative of the root of dawn, in the sense dawn, not the other way round. It more accurate to say that aurum means dawn coloured metal. Greek Eos dawn, English east, Earendel "morning star" and Latin auster "south". Interesting that for most of the world the sun rises in the east but to the Latins it rose in the south.
3
Thank you for the analysis!
1