Etymology

urban

urb·an
U1R1B3A1N1

Today it means: Of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or happening or located in, a city or town; of, pertaining to, or characteristic of life in such a place, especially when contrasted with the countryside. Full definition →

Latin urbānus ← Middle French urbain ← Proto-Indo-European *gʰórdʰosder.?
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urban · adjective1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*werbʰ-
  2. Proto-Italic*worβis?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*gʰerdʰ-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*gʰórdʰosder.?
  5. Latinurbs
  6. Latinurbānus
  7. Middle Frenchurbain
  8. Latinurbānus
  9. English todayurban

Borrowed from Middle French urbain (“belonging to a city, urban; courteous, refined, urbane”) (modern French urbain), or from its etymon Latin urbānus (“of or belonging to a city, urban; of manners or style: like those of city dwellers: cultivated, polished, refined, sophisticated”) + English -an (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Urbānus is derived from urbs (“city; walled town; Rome”) (further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- (“to encircle, enclose; a belt; an enclosure, fence”) or *werbʰ- (“to enclose”)) + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). For the euphemistic or proscribed term, it was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music.

Urban · proper noun2

  1. Latin · derived fromUrbānus
  2. English todayUrban

Latin Urbānus, name of eight early popes, from urbānus (“of the town or city, urbane”). Doublet of Orban.

Words from the same roots

Middle Frenchurbain all →

urbane

Latinurbānus all →

DurbanurbaneOrban

Proto-Indo-European*gʰerdʰ- all →

yardgirthurbanegird

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.