Where does “maid” come from?
Maid comes from Old English mægden, derived from Old English mægþ combined with the Proto-Germanic diminutive suffix -īnaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European maghu-.
maid (English): A girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden; A...
Definitions
- A girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden; A...
Ancestry of “maid”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mayde | young woman |
| 2 | English | maiden | A girl or an unmarried young woman; A female... |
| 3 | Middle English | mayden | maiden |
| 4 | Old English | mægden | girl; virgin, young unmarried woman |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | magadīn | little girl |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -īn | Creates adjectives from nouns with the sense... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |