Where does “Rhabarber” come from?
Rhabarber (German) comes from Italian rabarbaro, from Latin rhabarbarum, from Koine Greek ῥῆον βαρβαρικόν, from Ancient Greek ῥῆον, from Middle Persian rēwand, from Middle Persian lypʾs, from Proto-Iranian (h)rabā́š, from Proto-Indo-Iranian (s)rabʰā́ćš.
Ancestry of “Rhabarber”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | rabarbaro | rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) |
| 2 | Latin | rhabarbarum | rhubarb |
| 3 | Koine Greek | ῥῆον βαρβαρικόν | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ῥῆον | rhubarb |
| 5 | Middle Persian | rēwand | — |
| 6 | Middle Persian | lypʾs | rhubarb |
| 7 | Proto-Iranian | (h)rabā́š | rhubarb; fennel |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | (s)rabʰā́ćš | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | -ā́ćš | animal and plant suffix |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -eḱés | — |