Where does “アスファルト” come from?
アスファルト (Japanese) comes from English asphalt, from Late Latin asphaltum, from Ancient Greek ἄσφαλτος, from Ancient Greek ἀ-, from Proto-Hellenic hə-, from Proto-Indo-European sm̥-, from Proto-Indo-European sem- — together, one.
アスファルト (Japanese): asphalt
Ancestry of “アスファルト”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | asphalt | A sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or... |
| 2 | Late Latin | asphaltum | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἄσφαλτος | asphalt, bitumen |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |