Etymograph

English

similar

Similar comes from French similaire, from Medieval Latin similaris, extended from Latin similis ‘like’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- ‘one’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-1‘one, together’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-h₂-lo-1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*semalis1‘similar’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsimilis2‘like’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500similaris2
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentsimilaire2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1908similar2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin similis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English similar
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1908, William Blair Morton Ferguson, New York: “So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-Wiktionary, Latin similis‘one, together’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-h₂-lo-Wiktionary, Latin similisreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*semalisWiktionary, Latin similis‘similar’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsimilisWiktionary, English similar‘like’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500similarisWiktionary, English similar
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentsimilaireWiktionary, English similar
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1908similarWiktionary, English similar. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1908, William Blair Morton Ferguson, New York: “So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly…”

Linked words

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

some, same, single, seem, soft, simple, simply, sam, resemble, sincerely, anomaly, resemblance, simultaneous, singular, sincerity, anomalous, homeopathic, synapse, homology, hyphen, insincere, assimilate, sempre, synchronise, homolog, 47 more

through Latin similis ‘like’

assemble, simulation, semblance, simulate, assemblage, simulacrum, 20 more

Today it means

adj Having traits or characteristics in common; alike, allied, comparable.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “similar”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin similis. 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- / similar

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