semblance

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*sem-“one; together”
2. Latin · derived fromsimulō“to act or behave as if; to imitate, simulate”
3. Late Latin · derived fromsimilāre
4. Old French · derived fromsemblance
5. Anglo-Norman · derived fromsemblaunce
6. Middle English · inherited fromsemblaunce“outward appearance, form; appearance without reality; condition or fact of being apparent; symbolic image; facial expression, countenance; conduct, manner; image, likeness; analogy, comparison”
7. English todaysemblance

From Middle English semblaunce (“outward appearance, form; appearance without reality; condition or fact of being apparent; symbolic image; facial expression, countenance; conduct, manner; image, likeness; analogy, comparison”), from Anglo-Norman semblaunce and Old French semblance (modern French semblance), from semblant, the present participle of sembler (“to appear; to resemble, seem”), from Late Latin similāre, the present active infinitive of similō, a variant of Latin simulō (“to act or behave as if; to imitate, simulate”), from similis (“like resembling, similar to”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; together”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). By surface analysis, semble + -ance (suffix forming nouns denoting conditions or states).

Words from the same roots