Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “vir” come from?

vir (Latin) comes from Proto-Italic wiros, from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.

vir (Latin): man in the sense of "adult male human"; adult,...

Definitions

  1. man in the sense of "adult male human"; adult,...

Ancestry of “vir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Italicwirosa man
2Proto-Indo-EuropeanwiHrósman; husband; warrior, hero
3Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

Words derived from “vir”

  • virtue
  • virtually
  • virtual
  • virile
  • virtuoso
  • virtualization
  • virility
  • virtuosity
  • triumvirate
  • vertu
  • virtuality
  • virago
  • virtuosi
  • virtuosic
  • virilization
  • virtualisation
  • virtualize
  • nonvirtual
  • virtuosa
  • paravirtualization
  • virilism
  • virilisation
  • virtueless
  • quadrumvirate
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- →