Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Sierra Leone” come from?

Sierra Leone (English) comes from Italian serra, from Italian serrare, from Vulgar Latin serrare, from Latin serāre, from Latin sēra, from Latin serō, from Latin sērus, from Proto-Italic swerjos — to ache; to fester; wound; injury.

Ancestry of “Sierra Leone”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianserragreenhouse, glasshouse; third-person singular...
2Italianserrareto close, shut; to clamp
3Vulgar Latinserrareclose, shut; to close, shut; inflection of...
4Latinserāre—
5Latinsēra—
6Latinserō—
7Latinsērus—
8Proto-Italicswerjos—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanswer-yo-s—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanswer-to ache; to fester; wound; injury

Words derived from “Sierra Leone”

  • Sierra Leonean
  • Sierra Leonian
  • Σιέρα Λεόνε
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swer- →