Where does “never mind” come from?
never mind (Danish) comes from English never mind, from English nevermind, from English mind, from Middle English minde, from Old English mynd, from Proto-Germanic gamundiz, from Proto-Germanic ga-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm — resin, gum; to say, speak.
never mind (Danish): Never mind
Definitions
- Never mind
Ancestry of “never mind”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | never mind | It is not important; do not fret; Do not be... |
| 2 | English | nevermind | Attention, heed; Concern, affair; Consequence;... |
| 3 | English | mind | The ability for rational thought; The ability to... |
| 4 | Middle English | minde | — |
| 5 | Old English | mynd | mind |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | gamundiz | remembrance, memory; commemoration, memorial |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 10 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 11 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 12 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 13 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 14 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |