Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “mud” come from?

Mud comes from Middle Dutch modde, from Latin modus, from Proto-Indo-European mū-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European med-.

mud (English): A mixture of water and soil or fine grained...

Definitions

  1. A mixture of water and soil or fine grained...

Ancestry of “mud”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishmodeActivity within one's mind or brain; A person's...
2Old Frenchmode—
3Latinmodusmeasure; bound, limit; manner , way , method
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmēd-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmed-to measure; to give advice; healing

Words derived from “mud”

  • muddy
  • mudstone
  • mudroom
  • mudbrick
  • mudder
  • mudslide
  • muddier
  • mudslinging
  • muddiness
  • mudflat
  • mudhole
  • mudflow
  • mudguard
  • mudbank
  • mudded
  • mudfish
  • muddily
  • mudrock
  • mudlark
  • mudstained
  • mudball
  • mudskipper
  • mudhouse
  • mudwalled
Every word from Proto-Indo-European med- →