Where does “middlingness” come from?
middlingness (English) comes from English middling, 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 — in the middle of, near, by, around, with.
middlingness (English): Quality of being middling
Definitions
- Quality of being middling
Ancestry of “middlingness”, step by step
middlingness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English middling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | middling | Of intermediate or average size, position, or... |
| 2 | English | middle | A centre, midpoint; The part between the... |
| 3 | Middle English | myddel | The middle or centre of something |
| 4 | Old English | middel | middle |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *midl | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | midlą | middle |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | midjō | middle, midst |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | médʰyos | middle |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | medʰi- | with, among; with, along |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | me | in the middle of, near, by, around, with |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |