Where does “måle” come from?
måle (Danish) comes from Old Norse mála, from Middle Low German mālen, from Old Saxon *mālōn, from Proto-West Germanic *mālēn, from Proto-Albanian melana, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-n-, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European mel- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
måle (Danish): measure
Definitions
- measure
Ancestry of “måle”, step by step
måle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Norse mála
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | mála | to grind |
| 2 | Middle Low German | mālen | to draw, paint; to paint |
| 3 | Old Saxon | *mālōn | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *mālēn | to paint |
| 5 | Proto-Albanian | melana | black |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂-n- | dull black |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |
via Old Norse mæla
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | mæla | to speak |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | maþlijaną | to speak |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | maþlą | gathering; speech; legal case |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | mōtaną | to be allowed, to be permitted to, may |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | mōd- | to permit, make able |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | med- | to measure; to give advice; healing |