Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “urbanité” come from?

urbanité (Middle French) comes from Latin urbanitas, from Latin Urbānus, from Latin urbs, from Proto-Italic worβis, from Proto-Indo-European werbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European werb-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “urbanité”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinurbanitasAn instance of living in the city; city life;...
2LatinUrbānus—
3Latinurbsa city, walled town; the City, Rome
4Proto-Italicworβis—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwerbʰ-to enclose
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwerb-to throw, twist, bend; to turn, bend, twist; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →