Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “meddlesome” come from?

Meddlesome comes from English meddle and English some, tracing through Old English sum to Proto-Indo-European sem- meaning one or together, and Proto-Indo-European mey- of uncertain sense.

meddlesome (English): Characterised or marked by meddling; inclined or...

Definitions

  1. Characterised or marked by meddling; inclined or...

Ancestry of “meddlesome”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmeddleTo interfere in or with; to concern oneself with...
2Middle Englishmedlen—
3Anglo-Normanmesler—
4Latinmisculāre—
5Latinmisceō—
6Proto-Italicmikskōto mix
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmiḱ-sḱé-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmeyḱ-to mix
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

Words derived from “meddlesome”

  • meddlesomeness
  • meddlesomely
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →