いろ

Japanese

Etymology 1

/iro₂/ → /iro/

From Old Japanese. First cited in ancient texts such as the Kojiki of 712. Frellesvig connects the first mora to the Proto-Japonic root *e, which partially raised to /je/ (ye) in Old Japanese 胞 (ye, “placenta”) (modern 胞(え) (e)), and fully raised to /i/ in this term. Compare the middle syllable of Old Japanese 女 (womi₁na, “(young) woman”), cognate with 女 (me₁, “woman”).

Related to いら (ira), and possibly related to iri- in 入(いり)彦(びこ) (iribiko). Appears to be distinct from 色 (⟨iro₂⟩ → iro, “color”).

Prefix

いろ • (iro-) 

1. kinship through the same mother

   Antonym: 継 (mama-)

Derived terms

• いろは (iroha, “one's birth mother”)
• いろせ (irose, “a maternal male sibling”)
• いろね (irone, “a maternal older sibling”, sometimes defined the same as いろえ (iroe))
• いろえ (iroe, “a maternal older brother”, sometimes defined the same as いろね (irone))
• いろと (iroto, “a maternal younger sibling”)
• いろも (iromo, “a maternal younger sister”)

Etymology 2

Reading of various kanji terms.

Noun

いろ • (iro) 

1. 井路: a waterway or other conduit for water to be used for drinking, agriculture, etc.
2. 色: color
3. 倚廬: temporary housing in which an emperor resides during the period of mourning following the death of the emperor's father