Where does “email” come from?
Email derives from Old French esmal, from Frankish smalt, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld-.
email (English): A system for transferring messages from one...
Definitions
- A system for transferring messages from one...
Ancestry of “email”, step by step
email traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French email
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | — | |
| 2 | Old French | esmal | enamel |
| 3 | Latin | smaltum | enamel |
| 4 | Frankish | smalt | melted fat; fat, lard; oil, semi-liquid fat |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | smeltaną | to melt |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meld- | to soften, to melt |
via English electronic mail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | electronic mail | Email; An email |