Where does “membership” come from?
Membership derives from Middle English -schipe, Old English -scipe, and Latin membrum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots mḗms and mems- meaning limb or part.
membership (English): The state of being a member of a group or...
Definitions
- The state of being a member of a group or...
Ancestry of “membership”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | member | One who officially belongs to a group; A part of... |
| 2 | Middle English | membre | — |
| 3 | Old French | membre | limb |
| 4 | Latin | membrum | limb of the body; member; the penis; a portion,... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | memzrom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mḗms | flesh, meat |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mems- | flesh, meat |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | me-ms- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mes- | — |