Where does “Ming” come from?
Ming derives from Mandarin 明, a Chinese character whose earliest attested meaning remains uncertain.
Ming (English): A member of the Ming dynasty
Definitions
- A member of the Ming dynasty
Ancestry of “Ming”, step by step
Ming traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English minging
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | minging | Unattractive or repulsive; Unclean or dirty |
| 2 | Scots | mingin | disgusting, repulsive, stinking; ugly or... |
| 3 | Scots | -in | Used to form present participles of verbs |
| 4 | Middle English | -ing | Forms gerunds from verbs, typically referring to... |
| 5 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 6 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 7 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 10 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 11 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via Chinese 命
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 命 | command; life, destiny, instruction |
via Middle English mingen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mingen | — |