Where does “miss” come from?
miss (Dutch) comes from English Miss, from English Mistress, from Middle English maistresse, from Old French maistresse, from Old French maistre, from Latin magister, from Proto-Italic magisteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂isteros — big, great.
miss (Dutch): A winner of a beauty contest; A beauty; A girl...
Definitions
- A winner of a beauty contest; A beauty; A girl...
Ancestry of “miss”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Miss | Form of address, now used chiefly for an... |
| 2 | English | Mistress | Used as the title of a married woman before her... |
| 3 | Middle English | maistresse | mistress |
| 4 | Old French | maistresse | — |
| 5 | Old French | maistre | master; Master; magister |
| 6 | Latin | magister | teacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | magisteros | bigger, greater |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂isteros | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |