Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “sombre” come from?

sombre (French) comes from Old French sombre, from Old French sombrer, from Vulgar Latin subumbrare, from Latin sub, from Proto-Italic supo, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.

sombre (French): dark; first-person singular present indicative of...

Definitions

  1. dark; first-person singular present indicative of...

Ancestry of “sombre”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchsombre—
2Old Frenchsombrer—
3Vulgar Latinsubumbrareto shadow
4Latinsubunder, beneath; behind; at the feet of
5Proto-Italicsupo—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “sombre”

  • sombre
  • sombrely
  • sombreness
  • assombrissement
  • sombrement
  • assombrir
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →