calor (Latin)

Where does "calor" come from?

The Latin noun 'calor', meaning warmth or heat as well as the heat of passion or ardent love, is formed from the verb 'caleō', meaning to be warm, hot, or to glow, combined with the suffix '-or'[1]. This verb itself descends from Proto-Italic '*kalēō', which ultimately traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*ḱelh₁-' meaning to be hot[2].

Open questions

• The Proto-Italic form is reconstructed rather than directly attested. [2]
• The Proto-Indo-European root and its meaning are reconstructed. [2]

Full etymology tree

• calor (Latin), 'warmth, heat; glow'
  • derived caleo (Latin), 'to be warm or hot, glow'
    • inherited *kalēō (Proto-Italic)
      • inherited *kelh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to call, cry, summon'
  • suffix -or (Latin), 'used to form an abstract noun from a verb root or conceived root form'

Ancestors

• caleo (Latin)
• -or (Latin)

Sources

1. calor (Latin) - Wiktionary
2. caleo (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris