Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “noir” come from?

Noir comes from French noir, derived from Middle French noir, Old French noir, and Latin niger meaning "black," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European negʷ-.

noir (English): Of or pertaining to film noir, or the atmosphere...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to film noir, or the atmosphere...

Ancestry of “noir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchnoirblack in colour; drunk; inebriated; black, of...
2Middle Frenchnoirblack
3Old Frenchnoirblack; black; having a black color
4LatinNiger—
5Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷ-bare, naked

Words derived from “noir”

  • noirish
  • noirishly
  • noirishness
  • neo-noir
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷ- →