Where does “couleur” come from?
couleur (Middle French) comes from Latin color, from Ancient Greek μέτρον, from Ancient Greek -τρον, from Proto-Hellenic -tron, from Proto-Indo-European -trom, from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
Ancestry of “couleur”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | color | colour, shade; color; pigment; complexion |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |