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Where does the word "sober" come from? It comes from Latin sobrius, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "sober" come from? It comes from Latin sobrius, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Sober’s story begins in Latin: sobrius meant “not drunk.” 'se-', without, plus 'ebrius', drunk. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as sobre. Also meant serious and calm. It reached English by 1300s as sober. 'sober' colours meaning muted dates from the 1600s. Today, sober means not affected by alcohol; serious.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient sobrius "not drunk", 'se-', without, plus 'ebrius', drunk.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval sobre "temperate", also meant serious and calm.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s sober "not drunk", 'sober' colours meaning muted dates from the 1600s.