Where does “Mine” come from?
Mien comes from French mine, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European men-, a root associated with mental states and appearance.
Mine (English): My; belonging to me; that which belongs to me;...
Definitions
- My; belonging to me; that which belongs to me;...
Ancestry of “Mine”, step by step
Mine traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English myn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | myn | Alternative form of min |
| 2 | Old English | mīn | my, mine |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *mīn | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | mīnaz | my, mine; 1st person singular possessive |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | méynos | my; mine |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mei | to fix, to build fortifications or fences |
via Middle English min
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | min | First-person singular genitive determiner: my;... |
| 2 | Old Norse | minni | memory; less, smaller: comparative degree of... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | minnizô | comparative degree of *lītilaz |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |
Words derived from “Mine”