Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “urban” come from?

Urban derives from Middle French urbain, from Latin urbanus meaning "of the city," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European werb- and wer-.

urban (English): Related to the city; Characteristic of city...

Definitions

  1. Related to the city; Characteristic of city...

Ancestry of “urban”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchurbainurban, belonging to a city; also: polite,...
2LatinUrbānus—
3Latinurbsa city, walled town; the City, Rome
4Proto-Italicworβis—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwerbʰ-to enclose
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwerb-to throw, twist, bend; to turn, bend, twist; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “urban”

  • urbanization
  • urbanity
  • urbanism
  • interurban
  • urbanist
  • urbanite
  • nonurban
  • urbanistic
  • semiurban
  • urbanicity
  • urbanize
  • antiurban
  • intraurban
  • overurbanization
  • deurbanization
  • urbanscape
  • urbanise
  • urbanness
  • urbanistically
  • preurban
  • urbanologist
  • urbanological
  • urbanology
  • urbanizer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →