Where does “mole” come from?

mole (Danish) comes from French môle, from German mol, from German Molekül, from French molécule, from New Latin molecula, from Latin mōlēs — multitude, mass (of material).

mole (Danish): mole, breakwater; pier, jetty

Definitions

  1. mole, breakwater; pier, jetty

Ancestry of “mole”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmôlebreakwater, mole; mole; sunfish
2Germanmolmole (unit of amount)
3GermanMolekülmolecule
4Frenchmoléculemolecule
5New Latinmoleculaa molecule; molecule
6Latinmōlēsmultitude, mass (of material)
Every word from Latin mōlēs →Every word from New Latin molecula →Every word from French molécule →