Where does “merrymaking” come from?
Merrymaking derives from English making combined with English make, from Middle English -ing and French amer, tracing to Latin amare and ultimately Proto-Indo-European mag-.
merrymaking (English): Joyful festivities, especially as a celebration
Definitions
- Joyful festivities, especially as a celebration
Ancestry of “merrymaking”, step by step
merrymaking traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English making
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | making | The act of forming, causing, or constituting;... |
| 2 | English | -ing | Used to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,... |
| 3 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 4 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 5 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 8 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 9 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via English merry
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | merry | Jolly and full of high spirits; Festive and full... |
| 2 | French | merise | wild cherry |
| 3 | Middle French | amerise | — |
| 4 | French | amer | bitter; sour |
| 5 | Old French | amer | to love; to like; bitter |
| 6 | Latin | amāre | bitterly, spitefully; with bitterness |
via English merrymake
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | merrymake | To make merry, have fun, celebrate; Merry-making,... |
| 2 | English | make merry | To enjoy oneself in a jolly and festive manner |