Where does “male” come from?
male (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.
male (Danish): measure
Ancestry of “male”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | mála | — |
| 2 | Middle Low German | mālen | to draw, paint; to paint |
| 3 | Old Saxon | *mālōn | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *mālēn | — |
| 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 |
Words derived from “male”