Where does “mold” come from?
Mold comes from Old English molde, from Proto-Germanic muldō, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European mey-.
mold (English): A hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or...
Definitions
- A hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or...
Ancestry of “mold”, step by step
mold traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English molde
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | molde | dirt loose soil |
| 2 | Old French | modle | — |
| 3 | Latin | modulus | a small measure or interval; a module; a water... |
| 4 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via Middle English mowlde
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mowlde | mold tiny fungi |
| 2 | Middle English | mowled | — |
| 3 | Middle English | moulen | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | mygla | to grow mouldy or musty; mouldiness, mustiness |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | muglōną | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | mukiz | soft substance |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mewk- | slick, slimy, slippery, to slide; to make a quick... |