Where does “Miller” come from?
Miller comes from Middle English miller, from Middle English mylner, from Old English myllere, an agent noun derived from a mill operator.
Miller (English): for a miller
Definitions
- for a miller
Ancestry of “Miller”, step by step
Miller traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English myllere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | myllere | — |
| 2 | Middle English | mylnere | miller mill operator |
| 3 | Norwegian Nynorsk | mylne | mill |
| 4 | Old Norse | mylna | — |
| 5 | Old English | mylen | mill |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *mulīnu | mill |
| 7 | Latin | molīna | — |
| 8 | Latin | mola | millstone; mill; ground meal |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |