Where does “Madeira” come from?
Madeira comes from Portuguese madeira, from Latin materia meaning "wood" or "matter," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European méh₂tēr.
Madeira (English): A type of fortified wine produced on that island
Definitions
- A type of fortified wine produced on that island
Ancestry of “Madeira”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | Madeira | Ellipsis of vinho da Madeira |
| 2 | Old Portuguese | madeira | — |
| 3 | Latin | māteria | matter; material; component stuff; substance |
| 4 | Latin | māter | mother female parent |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | mātēr | mother |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | méh₂tēr | mother |