Where does “messenger” come from?
Messenger comes from Middle English messingere, from Old French messanger and messengier, derived from Old French message, which developed from Late Latin missaticum, ultimately from Latin mittere and mitto, meaning "to send," tracing back to Proto-Indo-European mey-.
messenger (English): One who brings messages; A light line with which...
Definitions
- One who brings messages; A light line with which...
Ancestry of “messenger”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | messengere | — |
| 2 | Old French | messanger | — |
| 3 | Old French | messagier | messenger |
| 4 | Old French | ier | yesterday |
| 5 | Latin | herī | yesterday |
| 6 | Latin | here | yesterday; second-person singular present active... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | hezī | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰǵʰyési | yesterday |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰǵʰyes- | yesterday, the day before |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeǵʰ- | day |