Where does “muttonish” come from?
muttonish (English) comes from English mutton, from Middle English motoun, 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.
Ancestry of “muttonish”, step by step
muttonish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mutton
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mutton | The flesh of sheep used as food; The flesh of... |
| 2 | Middle English | motoun | The meat of sheep or a piece of it; mutton; A... |
| 3 | Old French | mouton | sheep; mutton |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | molto | wether |
| 5 | Gaulish | multon- | sheep |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | moltos | ram, wether |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (h₂)moldus | soft, weak |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |
via English ish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ish | Pronunciation spelling of is; somewhat,... |
| 2 | English | -ish | Typical of, similar to, being like; Somewhat,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ish | Alternative form of -yssh |
| 4 | Old English | -isċ | -ish |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -isk | Creates adjectives from nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -iskaz | Forms adjectives from nouns with the sense of... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iskos | Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to |