Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. A leper; A tapeworm larva

Ancestry of “measle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmesel—
2Norman Frenchmesel—
3Old Frenchmeselleper
4Latinmiselluspoor, wretched
5Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
6Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
7Proto-Italic-olos—
8Proto-Italic-elos—
9Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
10Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “measle”

  • measly
  • measled
  • measling
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →