Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. likeness, similarity; the quality of being...

Ancestry of “semblance”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsemblaunce—
2Old Frenchsemblance—
3Old Frenchsemblant—
4Old FrenchsemblerAlternative form of sambler; to be like; to seem
5Latinsimilāre—
6Latinsimilarisuniform; similar; second-person singular present...
7Latinsimilissimilar
8Proto-Italicsemalis—
9Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “semblance”

  • missemblance
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →