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Robust

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means strong and healthy

Where does the word "robust" come from? It comes from Latin robur, passing through French before entering English (1540s).

robur→robuste→robust

Latin · ancient

"oak, strength"

hard oak wood was the image of strength

French · 1500s

Latin 'robustus' literally meant oaken, from 'robur', a hard reddish oak wood, so 'as strong as oak'

English · 1540s

used of wine and arguments

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Robust’s story begins in Latin: robur meant “oak, strength.” Hard oak wood was the image of strength. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as robuste. Latin 'robustus' literally meant oaken, from 'robur', a hard reddish oak wood, so 'as strong as oak'. It reached English by 1540s as robust. Used of wine and arguments. Today, robust means strong and healthy.