Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Madonna” come from?

Madonna comes from Italian madonna, from Italian donna and Latin magis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dṓm meaning house or household.

Ancestry of “Madonna”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1ItalianmadonnaHonorific title used to address women
2Italianmabut; Abbreviation of mamma; Indicates emotion or...
3Latinmagismore; more greatly; better
4Dutchmagischmagical, controlled or determined by supernatural...
5Dutchmagiemagic, sorcery ; hence supernatural occurrences...
6Frenchmagiemagic; A magical, surprising, fascinating feat;...
7Middle Frenchmagie—
8Latinmagīa—
9Ancient Greekμαγεία—
10Ancient GreekΜάγοςmagician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,...
11Old Persian𐎶𐎦𐏁priest
12Proto-Iranianmagúš—
13Proto-Indo-Iranianmagʰúš—
14Proto-Indo-Europeanmegʰ-ú-s—
15Proto-Indo-Europeanmegʰ-to be able

Words derived from “Madonna”

  • Madonnawise
Every word from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- →