Where does “colours” come from?
Colours is the plural of colour, from Old French coulour, from Latin color meaning "hue or appearance," from an unknown origin.
colours (English): plural of colour; Flag denoting the nationality...
Definitions
- plural of colour; Flag denoting the nationality...
Ancestry of “colours”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | colour | Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South... |
| 2 | Middle English | colour | colour, hue, shade; pigment, dye; method |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | colur | Alternative form of color |
| 4 | Old French | colour | Alternative form of color |
| 5 | Latin | color | colour, shade; color; pigment; complexion |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |