Where does “lavender” come from?
Lavender comes from Middle English lavendre, from Old French lavendre, from Latin lavendula, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European (s)leh₃y- meaning to turn blue or become livid.
lavender (English): Any of a group of European plants, genus,...
Definitions
- Any of a group of European plants, genus,...
Ancestry of “lavender”, step by step
lavender traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English lavendre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lavendre | lavender; Alternative form of lavender |
| 2 | Old French | lavendre | lavender |
| 3 | Latin | lavendula | — |
| 4 | Latin | lividus | leaden, bluish, blue; black and blue, livid;... |
| 5 | Latin | liveo | I am of a bluish color; I am livid; I am envious,... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | sliwēō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sliwo- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)leh₃y- | blueish |
via Anglo-Norman lavendre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | lavendre | lavender |