Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “contrast” come from?

Contrast comes from French contraster, from Italian contrastare, from Latin contrastare, combining Latin contra (against) and Latin rota (wheel), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- (to stand).

contrast (English): A difference in lightness, brightness and/or hue...

Definitions

  1. A difference in lightness, brightness and/or hue...

Ancestry of “contrast”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcontrasterto contrast
2Italiancontrastareto oppose, to impede, to hinder; to quarrel, to...
3Latincontrāstāre—
4Latincontrā—
5Latinubī—
6Latincubī—
7Proto-Italic*kʷuðei—

Words derived from “contrast”

  • contrasted
  • contrasting
  • contrastive
  • noncontrast
  • postcontrast
  • contrasty
  • contrastively
  • contrastingly
  • radiocontrast
  • precontrast
  • noncontrastive
  • contrastiveness
  • metacontrast
  • contrastivist
  • contrastivity
  • contrastable
  • uncontrasted
  • noncontrasting
  • contrastivism
Every word from Proto-Italic *kʷuðei →