Where does “Musselburgh” come from?
Musselburgh is a blend of English burgh, a fortified town, with Latin musculus, meaning little mouse, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European muh₂s and bʰrgʰ-.
Musselburgh (English): historically it was in Midlothian OS grid ref NT3472
Definitions
- historically it was in Midlothian OS grid ref NT3472
Ancestry of “Musselburgh”, step by step
Musselburgh traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mussel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mussel | Any of several groups of bivalve shellfish with... |
| 2 | Middle English | muscle | mussel bivalve |
| 3 | Old English | muscle | mussel |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *muskulā | — |
| 5 | Latin | muscula | Diminutive of musca |
| 6 | Latin | mūsculus | a small mouse |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μῦς | mouse; A type of mussel; A type of whale |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | *mū́s | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | múHs | mouse |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | múh₂s | mouse |
via English burgh
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | burgh | a small mound, often used in reference to tumuli;... |
| 2 | Middle English | borwe | A pledge or security asset deposited as guarantee |
| 3 | Old English | burh | Alternative form of burg; fortress; hill |
| 4 | Old English | burg | city; town; a fortified place: stronghold, fort,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |