Where does “graymail” come from?
graymail (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.
graymail (English): The threatened exposure of state secrets in order...
Definitions
- The threatened exposure of state secrets in order...
Ancestry of “graymail”, step by step
graymail 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 gray
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gray | Having a color somewhere between white and black,... |
| 2 | English | grey | Britain and Commonwealth of Nations standard... |
| 3 | Middle English | grey | grey, dull, drab; glinting, glistening; grey |
| 4 | Old English | grǣġ | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *grāu | grey |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | grēwaz | grey |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰreh₁- | to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow |