Where does “vindmølle” come from?
vindmølle (Danish) comes from Danish mølle, from Old Norse mylna, from Old English mylen, from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu, from Latin molīna, from Latin mola, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European mel- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
vindmølle (Danish): windmill; pinwheel
Definitions
- windmill; pinwheel
Ancestry of “vindmølle”, step by step
vindmølle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Danish mølle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | mølle | mill, millhouse |
| 2 | Old Norse | mylna | — |
| 3 | Old English | mylen | mill |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *mulīnu | mill |
| 5 | Latin | molīna | — |
| 6 | Latin | mola | millstone; mill; ground meal |
| 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 Danish vind
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | vind | crooked, warped; wind; imperative of vinde |
| 2 | Old Norse | vindr | wind; awry; second/third-person singular present... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | windaz | wind |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wéh₁n̥ts | blowing; that which blows; the wind, air |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wḗh₁ti | to blow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂weh₁- | to blow |