Where does “sombre” come from?
sombre (Old French) comes from Old French sombrer, from Vulgar Latin subumbrare, from Latin sub, from Proto-Italic supo, from Proto-Indo-European upó, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.
Ancestry of “sombre”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | sombrer | — |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | subumbrare | to shadow |
| 3 | Latin | sub | under, beneath; behind; at the feet of |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | supo | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |
Words derived from “sombre”