Where does “menstruation” come from?
Menstruation derives from Latin menstruus meaning monthly, from Proto-Indo-European mḗh₁n̥s meaning moon or month, ultimately from the root meh₁-.
menstruation (English): The periodic discharging of the menses, the flow...
Definitions
- The periodic discharging of the menses, the flow...
Ancestry of “menstruation”, step by step
menstruation traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English menstruum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | menstruum | The menses; menstrual discharge; A solvent; Any... |
| 2 | Latin | menstruum | a monthly payment; a monthly term of office or... |
| 3 | Latin | mēnstruus | Of or pertaining to a month |
| 4 | Latin | bimestris | lasting two months; two months old |
| 5 | Latin | mēnsis | month |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | mēnsis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | mēns | month |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mḗh₁n̥s | moon; month |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | meh₁- | to measure |
via Latin menstruatio
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | menstruatio | menstruation |
| 2 | Latin | menstruo | I menstruate; have a monthly period; dative... |
| 3 | Latin | -ō | suffixed to nouns or adjectives. Originally a-stem nouns. Later extended to nouns with other stems. Forms regular first-conjugation verbs |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |