Etymology Explorer › Dutch

Where does “miasma” come from?

miasma (Dutch) comes from New Latin miasma, from Ancient Greek μίασμα, from Ancient Greek μιαίνω, from Proto-Indo-European smei- — to smear.

miasma (Dutch): miasma

Definitions

  1. miasma

Ancestry of “miasma”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1New Latinmiasma—
2Ancient Greekμίασμαpollution, defilement; shameful action, crime
3Ancient GreekμιαίνωI paint; I stain, defile, pollute
4Proto-Indo-Europeansmei-to smear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European smei- →