Where does “sober” come from?

sober (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch sober, from Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius, from Latin sē-, from Latin sex, from Proto-Italic seks, from Proto-Indo-European swéḱs — six.

sober (Dutch): simple, plain, austere

Definitions

  1. simple, plain, austere

Ancestry of “sober”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchsober—
2Old Frenchsobre—
3Latinsōbriussober (not drunk)
4Latinsē-apart-; aside-; away
5Latinsexsix; 6
6Proto-Italicsekssix
7Proto-Indo-Europeanswéḱssix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swéḱs →Every word from Latin sē- →Every word from Proto-Italic seks →