Where does “mainland” come from?
Mainland derives from Middle English mayne londe, composed of mayne (main) and londe (land), with londe descending through Old English land to Proto-Indo-European lendʰ-.
mainland (English): The continent; the principal land, as...
Definitions
- The continent; the principal land, as...
Ancestry of “mainland”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mayne londe | A large swath of land or property; mainland; the... |
| 2 | Middle English | lond | An independent nation, country or realm; A tribe,... |
| 3 | Old English | land | land; a country; region within a country:... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | land | land, area of ground |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | landą | land, area of ground |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lendʰ- | land, heath; loins |