Where does “mail” come from?
Mail comes from Middle English mal, from Old French malle, from Latin masculus, derived from the diminutive suffix -culus applied to a root related to Proto-Indo-European molko- and mey-.
mail (English): A bag or wallet; A bag containing letters to be...
Definitions
- A bag or wallet; A bag containing letters to be...
Ancestry of “mail”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mal | — |
| 2 | Old English | māl | speech, contract, agreement; suit, case, action,... |
| 3 | Old Norse | mál | language; speech; matter, affair |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | mēlą | measure, measurement; time, occasion; point in... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |