English
alb
Alb comes from Old English albe ‘an alb’, and goes back to Latin alba.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalba
- Old Englishc. 450–1150albe‘an alb’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500aube
- Englishearliest quotation 1978alb
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalba
- Old Englishc. 450–1150albe‘an alb’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500aube
- Englishearliest quotation 1978alb
Earliest quotation: 1978, Jane Gardam, God on the Rocks: “‘The confidence of the very rich,’ thought Father Carter…”
Linked words
through Latin alba
Today it means
noun A long, white robe worn by priests and other ministers, underneath most of the other vestments.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin alba / alb