sky

Where does the word "sky" come from? It comes from Old Norse sky, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).

Sky’s story begins in Old Norse: sky meant “a cloud.” Originally meant cloud, before shifting to mean the heavens themselves. It reached English by 1200s as sky. Settled as the English word for the heavens, replacing the earlier word heofon in general use. Today, sky means the region of the atmosphere and outer space visible from earth.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval sky "a cloud", originally meant cloud, before shifting to mean the heavens themselves.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1200s sky "the region of clouds and the upper atmosphere", settled as the English word for the heavens, replacing the earlier word heofon in general use.