Where does “Middle Earth” come from?
Middle Earth (English) comes from Middle English myddelerthe, from Middle English myddelerd, from Middle English myddenerd, from Old English middaneard, from Old English middanġeard, from Proto-Germanic midjagardaz, from Proto-Germanic midjaz, from Proto-Indo-European médʰyos — in the middle of, near, by, around, with.
Middle Earth (English): The Earth
Definitions
- The Earth
Ancestry of “Middle Earth”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | myddelerthe | The Earth; the world as between Heaven and Hell or in the middle of the universe |
| 2 | Middle English | myddelerd | The Earth; the world as between Heaven and Hell or in the middle of the universe |
| 3 | Middle English | myddenerd | The Earth; the world as between Heaven and Hell or in the middle of the universe |
| 4 | Old English | middaneard | — |
| 5 | Old English | middanġeard | the world |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | midjagardaz | middle-earth; middle enclosure |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | midjaz | middle, mid |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | médʰyos | middle |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | medʰi- | with, among; with, along |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | me | in the middle of, near, by, around, with |