Where does “asphalt” come from?
Asphalt comes from Late Latin asphaltum, from Ancient Greek ἄσφαλτος, composed of the negation prefix ἀ- and a root related to Proto-Indo-European sem-.
asphalt (English): A sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or...
Definitions
- A sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or...
Ancestry of “asphalt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | asphaltum | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἄσφαλτος | asphalt, bitumen |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |
Words derived from “asphalt”