Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sober” come from?

Sober comes from Old French sobre, from Latin sobrius meaning not drunk, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European swé meaning self, expressing the sense of being in control of oneself.

sober (English): Not drunk; not intoxicated; Not given to...

Definitions

  1. Not drunk; not intoxicated; Not given to...

Ancestry of “sober”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsober—
2Old Frenchsobre—
3Latinsōbrius—
4Latinsē-—
5Latinsexsix; 6
6Proto-Italicsekssix
7Proto-Indo-Europeanswéḱssix

Words derived from “sober”

  • soberly
  • soberness
  • sobersides
  • unsober
  • sobersided
  • soberize
  • sobersidedness
  • sobereth
  • ensober
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swéḱs →