Where does “modmail” come from?
modmail (English) comes from English mail, from Middle English mal, from Old English māl, from Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic mēlą, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European mel-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
modmail (English): A messaging system on Reddit and similar discussion sites, used for communication between moderators and other users
Definitions
- A messaging system on Reddit and similar discussion sites, used for communication between moderators and other users
Ancestry of “modmail”, step by step
modmail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | A bag or wallet; A bag containing letters to be... | |
| 2 | Middle English | mal | — |
| 3 | Old English | māl | speech, contract, agreement; suit, case, action,... |
| 4 | Old Norse | mál | language; speech; matter, affair |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mēlą | measure, measurement; time, occasion; point in... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |
via English mod
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mod | An unconventionally modern style of fashionable... |
| 2 | English | MAD | Initialism of mutually assured destruction;... |
| 3 | Middle English | mad | Mad, insane, deranged; not of sound mind;... |
| 4 | Old English | ġemǣd | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | maidijaną | to exchange, change |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | maidaz | hurt, wounded; mad, foolish; angry, enraged |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy- | soft, tender, dear |