Etymograph

English

tamarix

Tamarix comes from Latin tamarix ‘tamarisk’, from Tamaris ‘the river Tambre’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- ‘to cut’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temh₁-1‘to cut’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temH-1‘dark’uncertainzero-grade of *temh₁-
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tm̥H-ró-1uncertainzero-grade of *temH-
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CETamaris2‘the river Tambre’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtamarix3‘tamarisk’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1912tamarix3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin Tamaris
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin tamarix
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English tamarix
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1912, Wisconsin Horticulture, Wisconsin State Horticultural Society: “This tamarix combines delightfully when in bloom with the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temh₁-Wiktionary, Latin Tamaris‘to cut’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temH-Wiktionary, Latin Tamaris‘dark’uncertainzero-grade of *temh₁-
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tm̥H-ró-Wiktionary, Latin Tamarisuncertainzero-grade of *temH-
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CETamarisWiktionary, Latin tamarix‘the river Tambre’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtamarixWiktionary, English tamarix‘tamarisk’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1912tamarixWiktionary, English tamarix. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1912, Wisconsin Horticulture, Wisconsin State Horticultural Society: “This tamarix combines delightfully when in bloom with the…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- ‘to cut’

contempt, atom, epitome, tome, templar, tempestuous, dichotomous, toma, 34 more

through Proto-Indo-European *temH- ‘dark’

intimidate, timid, temerity, tamas, 18 more

Today it means

noun tamarisk

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “tamarix”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin Tamaris, Latin tamarix. 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 *temh₁- / tamarix

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