Starlight
/ˈstɑːr.laɪt/noun
Light emitted by stars.
Did you know?Unlike words with hidden dark roots, *starlight* is a transparent compound, but the idea it names was once so mysterious that people treated stars as divine signals, not distant suns.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
steorra
“star”
Old English
OE
leoht
“light, brightness”
Middle English
ME
sterre light
“light from stars”
16th Century
English
starlight
“the light of stars”
Modern English
English
starlight
“light emitted by stars”