Where does “bituminous” come from?
Bituminous derives from French bitumineux, from Latin bituminosus, combining Latin -osus with Gaulish bitu, from Proto-Celtic betwiyos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷet-.
bituminous (English): Of or pertaining to bitumen; Bituminous coal; A...
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to bitumen; Bituminous coal; A...
Ancestry of “bituminous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | bitumineux | bituminous |
| 2 | Latin | bituminosus | abounding in bitumen or pitch; bituminous |
| 3 | Latin | bitūmen | mineral pitch, bitumen |
| 4 | Latin | -men | forms neuter nouns of the third declension |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *-mn̥ | — |