Where does “monks” come from?
Monks comes from Middle English monk, from Old English munuc, from Latin monachus, from Ancient Greek μοναχός meaning "solitary," derived from μόνος meaning "alone" and χρῶμα, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰreu.
monks (English): plural of monk; Third-person singular simple...
Definitions
- plural of monk; Third-person singular simple...
Ancestry of “monks”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | monk | A male member of a monastic order who has devoted... |
| 2 | Middle English | monk | A monk; a male member of a monastic community excluding mendicants |
| 3 | Old English | munuc | monk |
| 4 | Latin | monachus | monk |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μοναχός | solitary, single; monk, monastic |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μόνος | alone, forsaken, solitary; only; unique |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | σπέρμα | seed; semen, sperm; seed-time, sowing |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | *spérmə | — |