Where does “malleable” come from?
Malleable comes from Middle French malléable, derived from Late Latin malleabilis, from Latin malleare meaning "to hammer," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mel- meaning "to crush or grind."
malleable (English): Able to be hammered into thin sheets; capable of...
Definitions
- Able to be hammered into thin sheets; capable of...
Ancestry of “malleable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | malléable | — |
| 2 | Late Latin | malleabilis | — |
| 3 | Latin | malleo | I hammer; dative singular of malleus; ablative... |
| 4 | Latin | malleus | hammer, mallet; a disease of animals; the... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂-no- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |