Where does “mice” come from?
Mice derives from Middle English mice, plural of mous, from Old English mūs, from Proto-Germanic mūs, from Proto-Indo-European mūs-.
mice (English): plural of mouse
Ancestry of “mice”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mys | plural of mous |
| 2 | Old English | mȳs | mice |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | mūsiz | mice |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | mūs | mouse |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | múh₂s | mouse |