Where does “Mc-” come from?

Mc- (English) comes from Irish dubh, from Old Irish dub, from Proto-Celtic dubus, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

Mc- (English): A patronymic used to form common Irish and...

Definitions

  1. A patronymic used to form common Irish and...

Ancestry of “Mc-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Irishdubhblack; black-haired
2Old Irishdubblack; morally dark, dire, gloomy, melancholy;...
3Proto-Celticdubusblack
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewbʰ-deep
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “Mc-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewbʰ- →Every word from Proto-Celtic dubus →