Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “simile” come from?

simile (English) comes from Latin simile, from Latin similis, from Proto-Italic semalis, from Proto-Indo-European sem- — together, one.

simile (English): A figure of speech in which one thing is...

Definitions

  1. A figure of speech in which one thing is...

Ancestry of “simile”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinsimilenominative neuter singular of similis; accusative...
2Latinsimilissimilar
3Proto-Italicsemalis—
4Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →