English
anomalous
Anomalous comes from Late Latin anōmalos ‘deviating from the general rule, irregular,…’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘one, whole’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-1‘one, whole’root named by Wiktionary
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνώμᾰλος1anṓmălos
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEanōmalos1‘deviating from the general rule, irregular, anomalous, abnormal, exceptional’
- Englishtodayanomalous1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English anomalous
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-Wiktionary, English anomalous‘one, whole’root named by Wiktionary
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀνώμᾰλοςWiktionary, English anomalousanṓmălos
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEanōmalosWiktionary, English anomalous‘deviating from the general rule, irregular, anomalous, abnormal, exceptional’
- EnglishtodayanomalousWiktionary, English anomalous
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘one, whole’
some, same, single, similar, seem, simple, simply, soft, sam, simulation, sincerely, singular, resemble, assemble, resemblance, simulate, sincerity, simultaneous, assimilate, semblance, synapse, homeopathic, insincere, hyphen, simile, homology, simulacrum, sempre, synchronise, homolog, 47 more
Today it means
adj Deviating from the normal; marked by incongruity or contradiction; aberrant or abnormal.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “anomalous”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sem- / anomalous