Where does “somnambulism” come from?
Somnambulism derives from Latin ambulo, formed from the prefix ambi- and ambo, tracing through Proto-Indo-European swep-, h₂el-, and h₂ent-, ultimately from the root h₂en-.
somnambulism (English): sleepwalking
Ancestry of “somnambulism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | somnambulisme | somnambulism, sleepwalking |
| 2 | French | somnambule | sleepwalking; somnambulist |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | somnambulus | sleepwalker |
| 4 | Latin | ambulō | — |
| 5 | Latin | ambi- | ambi- |
| 6 | Latin | ambō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |