Where does “moldy” come from?
Moldy comes from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, Latin -ia, Latin -ivus, Latin -ia, and Proto-Indo-European -kos, tracing a suffix chain that formed adjectives denoting qualities or conditions.
moldy (English): Covered with mold; Stale or musty
Definitions
- Covered with mold; Stale or musty
Ancestry of “moldy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mold | A hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or... |
| 2 | Middle English | molde | dirt loose soil |
| 3 | Old French | modle | — |
| 4 | Latin | modulus | a small measure or interval; a module; a water... |
| 5 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |