Where does “measle” come from?
measle (English) comes from Middle English mesel, from Norman French mesel, from Old French mesel, from Latin misellus, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
measle (English): A leper; A tapeworm larva
Definitions
- A leper; A tapeworm larva
Ancestry of “measle”, step by step
measle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English mesel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mesel | A leper |
| 2 | Norman French | mesel | — |
| 3 | Old French | mesel | leper |
| 4 | Latin | misellus | poor, wretched |
| 5 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 6 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |