Where does “oatmeal” come from?
Oatmeal comes from Middle English otemele, from Middle English mele meaning "meal or flour," from Old English melu, from Proto-Germanic melwą, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, related to Ancient Greek μέσπιλον and Proto-Indo-European mey-.
oatmeal (English): Meal made from rolled or round oats; A breakfast...
Definitions
- Meal made from rolled or round oats; A breakfast...
Ancestry of “oatmeal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | otemele | oatmeal; meal made from oats or a dish made from... |
| 2 | Middle English | mele | Flour, especially that of wheat; The meal of... |
| 3 | Old English | melu | flour; meal, the edible part of a grain or pulse |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | melu | ground corn, meal, flour |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | melwą | ground corn, meal, flour |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |