Where does “brains” come from?
Brain comes from Middle English brayn, from Proto-Germanic bragną, from Proto-Indo-European men-, meaning to think or project mentally.
brains (English): plural of brain; API pl; The substance of a brain...
Definitions
- plural of brain; API pl; The substance of a brain...
Ancestry of “brains”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | brain | The control center of the central nervous system... |
| 2 | Middle English | brayn | The brain or cerebrum; the organ of thought;... |
| 3 | Old English | bræġn | brain |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *bragn | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bragną | brain |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mregʰnom | skull, brain |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |