Where does “mummy” come from?
Mummy comes from Middle English mummie, from Anglo-Norman mumie, from Middle French momie, from Medieval Latin mumia, from Arabic مُومِيَاء, from Persian مومیا, ultimately from Persian موم meaning wax.
mummy (English): An embalmed human or animal corpse wrapped in...
Definitions
- An embalmed human or animal corpse wrapped in...
Ancestry of “mummy”, step by step
mummy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English mummie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mummie | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | mumie | mummy |
| 3 | Middle French | momie | — |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | mumia | — |
| 5 | Arabic | مُومِيَاء | — |
| 6 | Classical Persian | مومیا | — |
| 7 | Persian | موم | wax; candle |
via English mum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mum | Mother; ma'am; a term of respect for an older... |
| 2 | English | chrysanthemum | Any of many flowering perennial plants, of the... |
| 3 | Latin | chrysanthemum | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | χρυσάνθεμον | gold-flower; immortelle; buttercup |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἄνθεμον | flower, rosette |