*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of arbor

From Middle English arbour, erbour, from Old French erbier (“field, meadow, kitchen garden”), from erbe (“grass, herb”), from Latin herba (“grass, herb”) (English herb). (Compare Late Latin herbārium, although erbier is

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A shady sitting place or pergola usually in a park or garden, surrounded by climbing shrubs, vines or other vegetation. · A grove of trees.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English arbour, erbour, from Old French erbier (“field, meadow, kitchen garden”), from erbe (“grass, herb”), from Latin herba (“grass, herb”) (English herb). (Compare Late Latin herbārium, although erbier is possibly an independent formation.) The spelling was influenced by Latin arbor (“tree”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionarbourenm
  • Derivation mentionerbierfro
  • Derivation mentionherbala
  • Unspecified derivation mentionarborla
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "arbour"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English arbour"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "erbier",
        "4": "",
        "5": "field, meadow, kitchen garden"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French erbier (“field, meadow, kitchen garden”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "herba",
        "4": "",
        "5": "grass, herb"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin herba (“grass, herb”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "herbārium"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin herbārium"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "arbor",
        "4": "",
        "5": "tree"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin arbor (“tree”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "arbour",
      "arbour#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "erbour",
      "erbour#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "erbier",
      "erbier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "erbe",
      "erbe#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "herba",
      "herba#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "herb",
      "herb#English"
    ],
    [
      "herbārium",
      "herbarium#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "erbier",
      "erbier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "arbor",
      "arbor#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A shady sitting place or pergola usually in a park or garden, surrounded by climbing shrubs, vines or other vegetation.",
        "A grove of trees."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 120277
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

An axis or shaft supporting a rotating part on a lathe. · A bar for supporting cutting tools. · A spindle of a wheel.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from French arbre (“tree, axis”), spelling influenced by Latin arbor (“tree”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionarbrefr
  • Derivation mentionarborla
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
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      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "arbre",
        "4": "",
        "5": "tree, axis"
      },
      "expansion": "French arbre (“tree, axis”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "arbor",
        "4": "",
        "5": "tree"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin arbor (“tree”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "arbre",
      "arbre#French"
    ],
    [
      "arbor",
      "arbor#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An axis or shaft supporting a rotating part on a lathe.",
        "A bar for supporting cutting tools.",
        "A spindle of a wheel."
      ],
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for arbor →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXJib3I