Where does “memsahib” come from?
memsahib (English) comes from English ma’am, from English madam, from Middle English madame, from Old French madame, from Old French dame, from Late Latin domna, from Latin domina, from Latin Dominus — to build; to arrange, to put together.
memsahib (English): A white European woman in colonial India
Definitions
- A white European woman in colonial India
Ancestry of “memsahib”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | ma’am | — |
| 2 | English | madam | "Mrs Grey wondered if the outfit she was trying... |
| 3 | Middle English | madame | — |
| 4 | Old French | madame | — |
| 5 | Old French | dame | lady; woman |
| 6 | Late Latin | domna | lady, mistress |
| 7 | Latin | domina | lady or mistress of the house |
| 8 | Latin | Dominus | the Lord; Lord; The Lord |
| 9 | Latin | domus | house, home; any building or abode; native place,... |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | domos | house, home |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dṓm | home; house |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | dem- | to build; to arrange, to put together |