auburn

The story

1. Latin · derived fromalbus“white”
2. Medieval Latin · derived fromalburnus“whitish”
3. Old French · derived fromauborne
4. Middle English · inherited fromaubourne
5. English todayauburn

Early Modern English auburn (“brown, reddish brown”) from Middle English aubourne, abron, abroune, abrune (“light brown, yellowish brown, blond”), alteration (due to conflation with Middle English brun (“brown”)) of earlier auborne (“yellowish-white, flaxen”) from Old French auborne, alborne (“blond, flaxen, off-white”) from Medieval Latin alburnus (“whitish”), from Latin albus (“white”). More at albino, brown.

Words from the same roots