Where does “mall” come from?
Mall derives from English pall mall, Old French pale-maille, and Italian pallamaglio, combining Italian palla with Latin malleus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to strike or beat.
mall (English): A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping...
Definitions
- A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping...
Ancestry of “mall”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pall mall | A 17th-century game in which a ball was driven... |
| 2 | Old French | pale-maille | — |
| 3 | Italian | pallamaglio | pall mall |
| 4 | Italian | palla | ball; bullet, shot; testicles |
| 5 | Latin | palla | A rectangular piece of cloth worn by ladies in... |
| 6 | Frankish | ball | — |
| 7 | Northern Sami | bállu | testicle, ball |
| 8 | Northern Sami | ballát | to become scared |
| 9 | Proto-Samic | pëlājëtēk | to become scared |
| 10 | Proto-Samic | pëlëtēk | to fear |
| 11 | Proto-Uralic | pele- | to fear |