Where does “scharlach” come from?
scharlach (Middle High German) comes from Middle High German scharlachen, from Middle Dutch scarlaken, from Old French escarlate, from Medieval Latin scarlatum, from Persian سقرلاط, from Greek σιγιλλᾶτος, from Latin sigillatum, from Latin sigillo — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
Ancestry of “scharlach”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | scharlachen | — |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | scarlaken | — |
| 3 | Old French | escarlate | a sort of fine, expensive cloth |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | scarlatum | scarlet cloth; scarlet, cloth of scarlet |
| 5 | Persian | سقرلاط | a warm woollen cloth |
| 6 | Greek | σιγιλλᾶτος | — |
| 7 | Latin | sigillatum | nominative neuter singular of sigillātus;... |
| 8 | Latin | sigillo | I seal; I confirm; dative singular of sigillum |
| 9 | Latin | sigillum | figurine, statuette; seal |
| 10 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |