Where does “facemask” come from?
facemask (English) comes from English mask, from Middle French masque, from Italian maschera, from Latin masca, from Proto-West Germanic *maskā, from Proto-Germanic maskwǭ, from Proto-Indo-European mozgo-, from Proto-Indo-European mezgʷ- — to knit, tie, make a loop; to knit, tie; to knit,...
facemask (English): A covering used to protect or disguise the face;...
Definitions
- A covering used to protect or disguise the face;...
Ancestry of “facemask”, step by step
facemask traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mask
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mask | A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for... |
| 2 | Middle French | masque | mask |
| 3 | Italian | maschera | mask; surface, fiction; cinema attendant |
| 4 | Latin | masca | witch, hag; spectre; nightmare; mask |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *maskā | mesh, net |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | maskwǭ | loop, knot; mesh, netting; mesh used as a filter,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mozgo- | netting, mesh, knot, loop |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mezgʷ- | to knit, tie, make a loop; to knit, tie; to knit,... |