Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “melon” come from?

Melon comes from Old French melon, from Medieval Latin melonem, from Latin melopeponem, from Ancient Greek μηλοπέπων, ultimately from μῆλον and πέπτω meaning ripened fruit.

melon (English): Any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae...

Definitions

  1. Any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae...

Ancestry of “melon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchmelonmelon
2Latinmelonemaccusative singular of mēlō
3LatinmelopeponemA type of pumpkin
4Ancient Greekμηλοπέπωνmelon, "Cucumis melo"
5Ancient Greekπέπωνripe, softened; good, sweet, kind; weak, cowardly
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpékʷetito be cooking; to ripen
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpekʷ-to cook; to ripen
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃-ép-kʷ-—

Words derived from “melon”

  • watermelon
  • muskmelon
  • melony
  • rockmelon
  • melonlike
  • melonhead
  • bittermelon
  • melonic
  • melonette
  • horned melon
  • melonade
  • メロン
  • 멜론
  • melen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃-ép-kʷ- →