Where does “Colorado” come from?
Colorado is an English place name derived from Spanish colorado, the past participle of colorar meaning "to color," ultimately from Latin color and Proto-Indo-European ḱel- meaning "to conceal or cover."
Colorado (English): Places in North America
Definitions
- Places in North America
Ancestry of “Colorado”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | Colorado | colored |
| 2 | Latin | coloratus | coloured |
| 3 | Latin | coloro | I color, tinge, imbue; I paint, dye |
| 4 | Latin | color | colour, shade; color; pigment; complexion |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |