Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “mouton” come from?

mouton (English) comes from French mouton, from Middle French mouton, from Old French mouton, from Vulgar Latin molto, from Gaulish multon-, from Proto-Celtic moltos, from Proto-Indo-European (h₂)moldus, from Proto-Indo-European mel- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

mouton (English): A 14th-century French gold coin, weighing about...

Definitions

  1. A 14th-century French gold coin, weighing about...

Ancestry of “mouton”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmoutonsheep; mutton; lemming, sheep
2Middle Frenchmouton—
3Old Frenchmoutonsheep; mutton
4Vulgar Latinmoltowether
5Gaulishmulton-sheep
6Proto-Celticmoltosram, wether
7Proto-Indo-European(h₂)moldussoft, weak
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →