Where does “mortmayn” come from?
mortmayn (Anglo-Norman) comes from Old French morte meyn, from Old French mortes meins, from Latin mortua manus, from English manus, from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic manus, from Proto-Indo-European man- — human being; man; hand.
Ancestry of “mortmayn”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | morte meyn | — |
| 2 | Old French | mortes meins | — |
| 3 | Latin | mortua manus | — |
| 4 | English | manus | A hand, as the part of the fore limb below the... |
| 5 | Latin | manus | hand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | manus | hand |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | man- | human being; man; hand |