Where does “gmail” come from?
gmail (English) comes from English mail, from Middle English mal, from Old English māl, from Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic mēlą, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European mel-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
gmail (English): A web-based e-mail system provided by Google (trademarked Gmail)
Definitions
- A web-based e-mail system provided by Google (trademarked Gmail)
Ancestry of “gmail”, step by step
gmail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | A bag or wallet; A bag containing letters to be... | |
| 2 | Middle English | mal | — |
| 3 | Old English | māl | speech, contract, agreement; suit, case, action,... |
| 4 | Old Norse | mál | language; speech; matter, affair |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mēlą | measure, measurement; time, occasion; point in... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |
via English Google
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Alternative letter-case form of google | |
| 2 | English | googly | A ball, bowled by a leg-break bowler, that spins... |
| 3 | English | goo-goo | A Philippine person; A government reformer;... |
| 4 | Tagalog | gago | ignorant; foolish; stupid; contemptible; fool;... |
| 5 | Spanish | gago | stutterer; stuttering |
| 6 | Galician | gago | stutterer; one who speaks nasally; stuttering |