Where does “sombre” come from?

Sombre comes from French sombre, derived from French sombrer, which combines Latin sub- with Latin sub, traced through Proto-Italic supo and Proto-Indo-European upo to the root h₃ewp-.

sombre (English): Dark; gloomy; shadowy, dimly lit; Dull or dark in...

Definitions

  1. Dark; gloomy; shadowy, dimly lit; Dull or dark in...

Ancestry of “sombre”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchsombredark; first-person singular present indicative of...
2Old Frenchsombre—
3Old Frenchsombrer—
4Vulgar Latinsubumbrareto shadow
5Latinsubunder, beneath; behind; at the feet of
6Proto-Italicsupounder
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “sombre”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European upó →Every word from Proto-Italic supo →