Etymology Explorer › Dutch

Where does “meis” come from?

meis (Dutch) comes from Dutch meisje, from Middle Dutch meisin, from Dutch meid, from Middle Dutch meit, from Middle Dutch meget, from Old Dutch magath, from Proto-Germanic magaþs, from Proto-Indo-European mogʰus — boy; young person; boy-servant?; young person.

meis (Dutch): girl

Definitions

  1. girl

Ancestry of “meis”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchmeisjegirl; girlfriend
2Middle Dutchmeisin—
3Dutchmeidgirl, lass; maid; Commonly used as an address for...
4Middle Dutchmeit—
5Middle Dutchmeget—
6Old Dutchmagath—
7Proto-Germanicmagaþsmaiden, girl; virgin
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmogʰusboy; young person; boy-servant?; young person
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mogʰus →