Etymograph

English

semblant

Semblant comes from French semblant, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘one, whole’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-1‘one, whole’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentsemblant1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1590semblant1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English semblant
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book II, Canto I: “But vnder simple shew and semblant plaine / Lurckt…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-Wiktionary, English semblant‘one, whole’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentsemblantWiktionary, English semblant
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1590semblantWiktionary, English semblant. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book II, Canto I: “But vnder simple shew and semblant plaine / Lurckt…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘one, whole’

some, same, single, simple, simply, similar, soft, sam, seem, sincerely, simulation, singular, simultaneous, sincerity, anomaly, simulate, resemble, assemble, assimilate, homeopathic, anomalous, resemblance, homology, insincere, hyphen, synapse, simile, homolog, simulacrum, synchronise, sempre, 46 more

Today it means

noun One's outward appearance.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “semblant”. 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- / semblant

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