Introduction

In which we go from Latin ūrō: "I burn" to English bust: "upper torso", with very little semantic or phonological similarity.

Latin ūrō: "I burn" picks up an extra b- in many inflected forms based on re-analysis of amb-ūrō, leading to Latin bustum: "place for fires".

Then semantically Latin bustum went from "place for fires" to "place for pyres" to "tomb". Italian busto continued from "tomb" to "statue decorating a grave" to "statue, especially of head and shoulders" to "torso" to "corset".

Teaser

combust, bust, urn, broil, ember

Full Text

• Proto-Indo-European *h₁ews- to burn

  • Proto-Indo-European *h₁éwseti primary verb

    • Hellenic *éuhō

      • Classical Greek εὕω heúō I singe
    • Indo-Iranian *Háwšati

      • Indo-Aryan

        • Sanskrit 𑀑𑀱𑀢𑀺 óṣati to burn, to punish, to chastise
    • Italic *ouzō

      • Latin ūrō I burn, I inflame, I annoy, I rage

        • Latin ambūrō I singe, I char "around-burn"

          • Latin *būrō re-analysis from ambūrō

            • Latin combūrō I burn, I burn completely, I cremate

              • Western Romance

                • Italian comburere to burn
              • Latin combustus burnt up, consumed, cremated

                • English combust
            • Latin bustum place for burning pyres, tomb, burial mound

              • Western Romance

                • Italian busto grave, statue decoration of a grave, statue, bust (statue), torso, corset

                  • French buste bust (statue), bust (anatomy), torso

                    • English bust
                    • French bustier

                      • English bustier
        • Latin ūrna urn, water jar made of burnt clay

          • Western Romance

            • French urne

              • English urn
        • Latin urtīca stinging nettle

          • Eastern Romance

            • Romanian urzică nettle
          • Western Romance

            • French ortie nettle
            • Italian ortica nettle, stinging nettle
            • Spanish ortiga nettle

              • Spanish Ortega Nettle (place name, habitational surname)

                • English Ortega
          • Translingual Urtica taxonomic genus of nettles
        • Latin ustulō I scorch, I burn up

          • Western Romance

            • Old French usler

              • Old French brusler to burn conflation with bruir from Frankish *brōjan, under influence of b- forms of the Latin

                • French brûler to burn

                  • French crème brûlée

                    • English crème brûlée
                • English broil
          • Latin perustulō

            • Western Romance

              • Italian brustolare

                • Italian abbrustolire to roast, to toast
            • Vulgar Latin *brusiāre also conflation with descendant of Germanic *brōjan? or b- forms?

              • Eastern Romance

                • Dalmatian brusur to burn, to singe, to char
              • Western Romance

                • Italian bruciàre to burn, to sear
  • Proto-Indo-European *h₁usnós adjective

    • Indo-Iranian *Hušnás

      • Indo-Aryan

        • Sanskrit 𑀉𑀱𑁆𑀡 uṣṇá warm, hot
  • Proto-Indo-European *h₁ewsós result noun

    • Indo-Iranian *Hawšás

      • Indo-Aryan

        • Sanskrit 𑀑𑀱 oṣá combustion, shining

          • Maharashtri

            • Old Marathi 𑘁𑘮 āha heat
  • Proto-Indo-European *h₁owsmos

    • Germanic *aimaz steam, smoke unexpected *-i- instead of *-u-, possibly from *h₂eydʰ- instead

      • North Germanic

        • Old Norse eimr steam, vapor

          • Icelandic eimur steam, vapor

            • Icelandic eimskip steamer, steamboat
  • Proto-Indo-European *h₁usieh₂ō

    • Germanic *uzjȭ fire

      • North Germanic

        • Old Norse yrja
      • Germanic *aimuzjȭ ember, ash, pyre

        • North Germanic

          • Old Norse eimyrja embers

            • Icelandic eimyrja
            • Swedish mörja embers, mud
        • West Germanic

          • Old English ǣmyrġe embers, coals

            • English ember

Visual

Collected English words

combust, bust, bustier, urn, Ortega, Urtica, crème brûlée, broil, ember