Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “curb” come from?

Curb comes from Middle French courbe, from Latin curvus meaning "bent or curved," from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, ultimately from sek- meaning "to cut."

curb (English): A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a...

Definitions

  1. A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a...

Ancestry of “curb”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcourbecurve; curved; bent
2Latincurbus—
3Latincurvusbent, crooked, curved
4Proto-Italickorwos—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱorh₂wós—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
7Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
8Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army

Words derived from “curb”

  • curbstone
  • curbside
  • curbless
  • curber
  • uncurb
  • uncurbable
  • curbstoner
  • curbable
  • curbsider
  • kurbi
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker- →