Where does “men” come from?

men (Danish) comes from Old Norse meðan, from Proto-Germanic medanō — meanwhile, as long as.

men (Danish): injury; but; but, catch, hitch, snag

Definitions

  1. injury; but; but, catch, hitch, snag

Ancestry of “men”, step by step

men traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse meðan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsemeðanmeanwhile, as long as, while, whilst
2Proto-Germanicmedanōmeanwhile, as long as

via Old Norse mein

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsemeinharm, mischief, crime, misdeed
2Proto-Germanicmainądamage, hurt; unjustice, sin

via Middle Low German men

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germanmen—

Words derived from “men”

Every word from Proto-Germanic medanō →Every word from Old Norse meðan →