Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “maim” come from?

Maim comes from Middle English maymen, from Old French mahaigner, of uncertain origin and ultimate meaning.

maim (English): To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of...

Definitions

  1. To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of...

Ancestry of “maim”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmaymen—
2Old Frenchmahaignerto mutilate

Words derived from “maim”

  • maimer
  • maimeth
  • maimee
Every word from Old French mahaigner →