*aus- | Meaning Of Root *aus- By Etymonline

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Origin and history of *aus-

*aus-(1)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shine," especially of the dawn. It might form all or part of: austral; Australia; Austria; Austro-; Aurora; east; Easter; eastern; eo-; Ostrogoth.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit usah "dawn;" Greek ēōs "dawn;" Latin Aurora "goddess of dawn," auster "south wind;" Lithuanian aušra "dawn;" Old English east "east."

Entries linking to *aus-

aurora(n.)

"morning light, dawn," late 14c., from Latin Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, from PIE *ausus- "dawn," also the name of the Indo-European goddess of the dawn, from root *aus- (1) "to shine," especially of the dawn (source also of Greek ēōs "dawn").

austral(adj.)

"southern, of or pertaining to the south," 1540s, from Latin australis, from auster "south wind; south," from Proto-Italic *aus-tero- (adj.) "towards the dawn," from PIE *heus-tero- (source also of Sanskrit usra- "red; matutinal," usar-budh- "waking at dawn;" Greek aurion "tomorrow;" Lithuanian aušra "dawn;" Old Church Slavonic jutro "dawn, morning; tomorrow;" Old High German ostara "Easter"), from PIE root *aus- (1) "to shine," especially of the dawn.

The Latin sense shift in auster, if it is indeed the same word other Indo-European languages use for "east," for which Latin uses oriens (see Orient (n.)), perhaps is based on a false assumption about the orientation of the Italian peninsula, "with shift through 'southeast' explained by the diagonal position of the axis of Italy" [Buck]; see Walde, Alois, "Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch," 3rd. ed., vol. I, p.87; Ernout, Alfred, and Meillet, Alfred, "Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine," 2nd. ed., p.94.

Or perhaps the connection is more ancient, and from PIE root *aus- "to shine," source of aurora, which also produces words for "burning," with reference to the "hot" south wind that blows into Italy. Thus auster "(hot) south wind," metaphorically extended to "south."

• Australia
• Austria
• east
• Easter
• eastern
• Ostrogoth
• aureate
• Austro-
• eo-
• See All Related Words (11)

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eastOld English east, eastan (adj., adv.) "east, easterly, eastward;" easte (n.), from Proto-Germanic *aust- "east," literally "toward the sunrise" (source also of Old Frisian ast "east," aster "eastward," Dutch oost Old Saxon ost, Old High German ostan, German Ost, Old Norse austr "aureateearly 15c., "resembling gold, gold-colored," also figuratively, "splendid, brilliant," from Latin aureatus "decorated with gold," from aureus "golden," from aurum "gold," from PIE root *aus- (2) "gold" (source also of Sanskrit ayah "metal," Avestan ayo, Latin aes "brass," Old EngDobermann pinscherDer Kutscher aus gutem Hause verschafft sich, wie er kann und wenn er kann, einen ganz kleinen englischen Pinscher, der den...Pferden sehr gut gut folgt und die großen Dänen von ehedem ersetzt hat, aus J.J....stemOr it might be influenced by or a translation of German stammen aus "come from," also probably a figurative sense....orioleFrench oriol, Old Provençal auriol, from Medieval Latin oryolus, oriolus (13c.), from Latin aureolus "golden," from PIE *aus...ormoluzinc, and tin resembling gold," from French or moulu, literally "ground gold," from or "gold" (from Latin aurum, from PIE *aus...utterCompare German äussern "to utter, express," from aus "out;" and colloquial phrase out with it "speak up!"...rapturec. 1600, "act of carrying off" as prey or plunder, from rapt + -ure, or else from French rapture, from Medieval Latin raptura "seizure, rape, kidnapping," from Latin raptus "a carrying off, abduction, snatching away; rape" (see rapt). The earliest attested use in English is with burgeonearly 14c., "grow, sprout, blossom," from Anglo-French burjuner, Old French borjoner "to bud, sprout," from borjon "a bud, shoot, pimple" (Modern French bourgeon), a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Vulgar Latin *burrionem (nominative *burrio), from Late Latin burra "flock tableMiddle English, from Old French table, tabel "board, square panel, plank; writing table; picture; food, fare" (11c.), and also a survival of late Old English tabele "flat and relatively thin surface of some hard material," especially "writing tablet (of slabs of wood, etc.,), gam

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‘cite’Page URL:https://www.etymonline.com/word/*aus-CopyHTML Link:<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/*aus-">Etymology of *aus- by etymonline</a>CopyAPA Style:Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of *aus-. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved February 19, 2026, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/*aus-CopyChicago Style:Harper Douglas, "Etymology of *aus-," Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed February 19, 2026, https://www.etymonline.com/word/*aus-.CopyMLA Style:Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of *aus-." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/*aus-. Accessed 19 February, 2026.CopyIEEE Style:D. Harper. "Etymology of *aus-." Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/*aus- (accessed February 19, 2026).CopyRemove AdsAdvertisement

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TrendingDictionary entries near *aus-

• Auriga
• aurochs
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• aurora borealis
• auroral
• *aus-
• auscultate
• auscultation
• auspex
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• auspicious

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