Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “sure” come from?

sure (Middle English) comes from Middle French sur, from Old French seür, from Latin super, from Latin eks-uper, from Proto-Indo-European upéri, from Proto-Indo-European upér, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.

sure (Middle English): safe, protected; fortified, well-defended,...

Definitions

  1. safe, protected; fortified, well-defended,...

Ancestry of “sure”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchsur—
2Old FrenchseürAlternative form of seur; sure
3Latinsuper"accusative" above, on the top of, upon;...
4Latineks-uper—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanupérialternative reconstruction of *upér
6Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “sure”

  • sure
  • surely
  • sore
  • sewage
  • sorely
  • unsure
  • sewer
  • searing
  • sewerage
  • sear
  • sere
  • footsore
  • sureness
  • cere
  • cocksure
  • surefooted
  • searingly
  • cocksureness
  • seral
  • heartsore
  • sewering
  • bedsore
  • cerecloth
  • sorehead
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →