Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “malleolus” come from?

Malleolus comes from Latin malleolus, a diminutive of Latin malleus meaning hammer, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mel- meaning to crush or grind.

malleolus (English): The bony prominence on each side of the ankle...

Definitions

  1. The bony prominence on each side of the ankle...

Ancestry of “malleolus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinmalleolussmall hammer, mallet; fire-dart
2Latinmalleushammer, mallet; a disease of animals; the...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-no-—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

Words derived from “malleolus”

  • malleolar
  • supramalleolar
  • bimalleolar
  • trimalleolar
  • retromalleolar
  • transmalleolar
  • intermalleolar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →