Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “minesweeper” come from?

minesweeper (English) comes from English Mine, from French mine, from Breton min, from Italian mina, from Latin mina, from Gaulish mēnā, from Proto-Celtic *meinis, from Proto-Indo-European mēy(H)nis — to cut, hew.

minesweeper (English): A vehicle, device or person with the purpose of...

Definitions

  1. A vehicle, device or person with the purpose of...

Ancestry of “minesweeper”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMineAlternative letter-case form of mine "often used...
2Frenchminemine; pencil lead; piledriver, scorcher
3Bretonminface of an animal; beak, muzzle
4Italianminamine, land mine; lead in pencils; mine which...
5LatinminaA Greek weight equal to 100 drachmas; A Greek...
6Gaulishmēnāore, mine
7Proto-Celtic*meinis—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmēy(H)nis—
9Proto-Indo-European(s)mēy(H)-to cut, hew
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mēy(H)- →