Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “middleweight” come from?

middleweight (English) comes from English middle, from Middle English myddel, from Old English middel, from Proto-West Germanic *midl, from Proto-Germanic midlą, from Proto-Germanic midjō, from Proto-Indo-European médʰyos, from Proto-Indo-European medʰi- — in the middle of, near, by, around, with.

middleweight (English): A weight class in professional boxing between...

Definitions

  1. A weight class in professional boxing between...

Ancestry of “middleweight”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmiddleA centre, midpoint; The part between the...
2Middle Englishmyddel—
3Old Englishmiddelmiddle
4Proto-West Germanic*midl—
5Proto-Germanicmidląmiddle
6Proto-Germanicmidjōmiddle, midst
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmédʰyosmiddle
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmedʰi-with, among; with, along
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmein the middle of, near, by, around, with
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