Where does “scarlet” come from?
scarlet (Middle English) comes from Old French escarlate, from Medieval Latin scarlatum, from Persian سقرلاط, from Greek σιγιλλᾶτος, from Latin sigillatum, from Latin sigillo, from Latin sigillum, from Latin -lus — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
Ancestry of “scarlet”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | escarlate | a sort of fine, expensive cloth |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | scarlatum | scarlet cloth; scarlet, cloth of scarlet |
| 3 | Persian | سقرلاط | a warm woollen cloth |
| 4 | Greek | σιγιλλᾶτος | — |
| 5 | Latin | sigillatum | nominative neuter singular of sigillātus;... |
| 6 | Latin | sigillo | I seal; I confirm; dative singular of sigillum |
| 7 | Latin | sigillum | figurine, statuette; seal |
| 8 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -elos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
Words derived from “scarlet”