Etymograph

English

tenebrificous

Tenebrificous comes from Latin tenebrae ‘darkness’, from Proto-Italic *temazros ‘dark’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *temH-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temH-‘to be dark’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*témHos‘darkness’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*temH-(e)s-ro-reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*temazros‘dark’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtenebrae‘darkness’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1681tenebrificous

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temH-‘to be dark’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*témHos‘darkness’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*temH-(e)s-ro-reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*temazros‘dark’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtenebrae‘darkness’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1681tenebrificous

Earliest quotation: 1681, Henry More, A Confutation of Aſtrology: “But to fancy any Stars efficiently and poſitively to…”

Formed from tenebrific + -ous

Proto-Indo-European *temH- ‘to be dark’

…

Proto-Indo-European *temH-(e)s-ro-

Proto-Italic *temazros ‘dark’

Latin tenebrae ‘darkness’

New Latin tenebrificus

English tenebrific

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *temH- ‘to be dark’

timid, 19 more

through Proto-Indo-European *témHos ‘darkness’

tamas, temerity, 9 more

Today it means

adj Synonym of tenebrific (“producing darkness”).

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *temH- / tenebrificous

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