Where does “trouble” come from?
trouble (Middle English) comes from Old French troble, from Old French trobler, from Old French torbler, from Vulgar Latin turbulo, from Latin turbula, from Latin turba, from Ancient Greek τύρβη, from Proto-Indo-European twerH- — to enclose, fence in; to grab, seize; to stir.
trouble (Middle English): Murky, muddy, turbid, opaque
Definitions
- Murky, muddy, turbid, opaque
Ancestry of “trouble”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | troble | turbulent; cloudy; clouded; strife; commotion |
| 2 | Old French | trobler | to trouble; to disrupt; to waylay |
| 3 | Old French | torbler | Alternative form of trobler |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | turbulo | I disrupt, unsettle, agitate, upset, trouble,... |
| 5 | Latin | turbula | disorderly group, a little crowd or people;... |
| 6 | Latin | turba | stir, disturbance, tumult, uproar, trouble; mob,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | τύρβη | disorder, confusion, tumult; poetic rout, revelry |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | twerH- | to enclose, fence in; to grab, seize; to stir |