Where does “semblance” come from?
Semblance comes from Old French semblance, from Old French semblant, from Old French sembler, from Late Latin similare, from Latin similaris, from Latin similis meaning "like," from Proto-Italic semalis, from Proto-Indo-European sem-.
semblance (English): likeness, similarity; the quality of being...
Definitions
- likeness, similarity; the quality of being...
Ancestry of “semblance”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | semblaunce | — |
| 2 | Old French | semblance | — |
| 3 | Old French | semblant | — |
| 4 | Old French | sembler | Alternative form of sambler; to be like; to seem |
| 5 | Latin | similāre | a fax machine |
| 6 | Latin | similaris | uniform; similar; second-person singular present... |
| 7 | Latin | similis | similar |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | semalis | similiar |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |