Where does “man in the moon” come from?
man in the moon (English) comes from English MAN, from English manual, from Middle English manuel, from Anglo-Norman manuel, from Old French manual, from Latin manuālis, from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic manus — human being; man; hand.
man in the moon (English): An image of a man perceived in the dark mare (plains or "seas") and light highlands or other features of the Moon, originally regarded as a man with a burden on his back or accompanied by a small dog, and now more commonly as a man's face in the full moon or his profile in a crescent moon; hence, an
Definitions
- An image of a man perceived in the dark mare (plains or "seas") and light highlands or other features of the Moon, originally regarded as a man with a burden on his back or accompanied by a small dog, and now more commonly as a man's face in the full moon or his profile in a crescent moon; hence, an
Ancestry of “man in the moon”, step by step
man in the moon traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English MAN
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | MAN | Initialism of Metropolitan Area Network |
| 2 | English | manual | A handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage... |
| 3 | Middle English | manuel | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | manuel | manual; done with the hands; handle; manual;... |
| 5 | Old French | manual | — |
| 6 | Latin | manuālis | hand |
| 7 | Latin | manus | hand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | manus | hand |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | man- | human being; man; hand |
via English Moon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Moon | The Earth's moon; the sole natural satellite of the Earth, represented in astronomy and astrology by ☾ |
| 2 | Middle English | Mone | A lamentation; a sorrowful moan or expression |
| 3 | Old English | mān | bad, criminal, false; shameful act; crime;... |
| 4 | Sanskrit | महादेव | the "great God" |
| 5 | Sanskrit | महा | combining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | maźʰā́ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | maȷ́ʰā́ | big, great |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |
via English The
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | The | Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun |
| 2 | Middle English | þe | the; Second-person singular pronoun indicating a... |
| 3 | Middle English | in | Any kind of accomodation; particularly; A home or... |
| 4 | Old English | inn | in; inn |
| 5 | Old English | inne | inside, in; indoors |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | innai | within, inside |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | in | in; into |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | én | in |