Where does “minnie” come from?

minnie (English) comes from English minnow, from Middle English menow, from Old English mynwe, from Proto-West Germanic *muniwu, from Indo-European *men-.

minnie (English): mother; mummy

Definitions

  1. mother; mummy

Ancestry of “minnie”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishminnowA small freshwater fish of the carp family,...
2Middle Englishmenow—
3Old Englishmynwe—
4Proto-West Germanic*muniwusmall fish, minnow
5Indo-European*men-—
Every word from Indo-European *men- →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *muniwu →Every word from Old English mynwe →