Where does “arable” come from?
arable (Middle French) comes from Old French arable, from Vulgar Latin acerābulus, from Latin ācer, from Latin saccharum, from Ancient Greek σάκχαρ, from Sanskrit शर्करा, from Proto-Indo-Aryan śárkaraH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian ćárkaraH — gravel, boulder; boulder; gravel.
Ancestry of “arable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | arable | arable |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | acerābulus | — |
| 3 | Latin | ācer | sharp, sour, bitter, pungent |
| 4 | Latin | saccharum | sugar |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σάκχαρ | sugar; sugar cane |
| 6 | Sanskrit | शर्करा | gravel, grit, pebbles, shingle, gravelly mould or... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | śárkaraH | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | ćárkaraH | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorkeh₂ | gravel, boulder; boulder; gravel |