Where does “menial” come from?
Menial comes from Middle English meinial, from Old French mesnal and maisnee, ultimately from Latin mansio meaning a dwelling or household, with the suffix -alis, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root men- related to Latin manus.
menial (English): Of or relating to work normally performed by a...
Definitions
- Of or relating to work normally performed by a...
Ancestry of “menial”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | meyneal | Pertaining to a household or family |
| 2 | Old French | mesnal | household (attributive); domestic |
| 3 | Old French | maisnee | household; estate |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | mansionata | — |
| 5 | Latin | mansiō | An act or instance of staying, remaining; stay, continuance |
| 6 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 7 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 8 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 9 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 10 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 11 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 12 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |