Where does “somnolent” come from?
Somnolent derives from Old French sompnolent, from Latin somnolentus, built on Latin somnus meaning sleep, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European swépnos and the root swep-.
somnolent (English): Drowsy or sleepy; Causing literal or figurative...
Definitions
- Drowsy or sleepy; Causing literal or figurative...
Ancestry of “somnolent”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | somnolent | drowsy; third-person plural present indicative of... |
| 2 | Old French | sompnolent | — |
| 3 | Latin | somnolentus | heavy with sleep, sleepy, drowsy, dozy, somnolent |
| 4 | Latin | somnus | sleep; drowsiness, slumber sloth, idleness; death |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | swepnos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | swépnos | sleep, slumber |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | swopnos | dream |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | swep- | to sleep |