Where does “mindfulness” come from?
Mindfulness derives from English mindful plus the Old English suffix -nes, with mind tracing to Old English -nes, Proto-Germanic gamundiz, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European méntis meaning thought.
mindfulness (English): Awareness; Inclination to be mindful or aware;...
Definitions
- Awareness; Inclination to be mindful or aware;...
Ancestry of “mindfulness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mindful | aware (of something); attentive, heedful |
| 2 | English | mind | The ability for rational thought; The ability to... |
| 3 | Middle English | minde | — |
| 4 | Old English | mynd | mind |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gamundiz | remembrance, memory; commemoration, memorial |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 9 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 10 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 11 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 12 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 13 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |