Where does “Mein” come from?

Mein (English) comes from German mein, from Old High German mīn, from Proto-West Germanic mīn, from Proto-Germanic mīnaz, from Proto-Indo-European méynos, from Proto-Indo-European mei — to fix, to build fortifications or fences.

Ancestry of “Mein”, step by step

Mein traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German mein

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanmeinmy; genitive of ich
2Old High Germanmīnmy
3Proto-West Germanicmīnmy, mine
4Proto-Germanicmīnazmy, mine; 1st person singular possessive
5Proto-Indo-Europeanméynosmy; mine
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmeito fix, to build fortifications or fences

via Proto-Germanic *magan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanic*magan—
2Proto-Germanicmaganąto be able, may
3Proto-Indo-European(me)mógʰeto have power, to be able to
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmegʰ-to be able
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mei →Every word from Proto-Indo-European méynos →Every word from Proto-Germanic mīnaz →
Mein — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer