Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “inmate” come from?

Inmate derives from Middle English in, Old English inn meaning "a place where one dwells," combined with mate through Proto-Indo-European roots ḱóm and en, ultimately denoting shared dwelling.

inmate (English): A person confined to an institution such as a...

Definitions

  1. A person confined to an institution such as a...

Ancestry of “inmate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmatéAn evergreen tree, Ilex paraquariensis, native to...
2Middle Englishmate—
3Middle Low Germanmāte—
4Old Saxongimato—
5Proto-Germanicgamatjô—
6Proto-Germanicga-Indicates association or togetherness; co-;...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
9Middle Englishkyt—
10Germankitt—
11Old High Germankuti—
12Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
13Proto-Germanickweduzresin
14Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
15Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

Words derived from “inmate”

  • inmatehood
  • coinmate
  • inmacy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →