Where does “Middle-earth” come from?
Middle-earth (English) comes from English Middle Earth, 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 — in the middle of, near, by, around, with.
Middle-earth (English): The main setting of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and other works
Definitions
- The main setting of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and other works
Ancestry of “Middle-earth”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Middle Earth | The Earth |
| 2 | Middle English | myddelerthe | The Earth; the world as between Heaven and Hell or in the middle of the universe |
| 3 | Middle English | myddelerd | The Earth; the world as between Heaven and Hell or in the middle of the universe |
| 4 | Middle English | myddenerd | The Earth; the world as between Heaven and Hell or in the middle of the universe |
| 5 | Old English | middaneard | — |
| 6 | Old English | middanġeard | the world |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | midjagardaz | middle-earth; middle enclosure |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | midjaz | middle, mid |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | médʰyos | middle |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | medʰi- | with, among; with, along |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | me | in the middle of, near, by, around, with |