Where does “pall mall” come from?
pall mall (English) comes from Old French pale-maille, from Italian pallamaglio, from Italian palla, from Latin palla, from Frankish ball, from Northern Sami bállu, from Northern Sami ballát, from Proto-Samic pëlājëtēk — to fear.
pall mall (English): A 17th-century game in which a ball was driven...
Definitions
- A 17th-century game in which a ball was driven...
Ancestry of “pall mall”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | pale-maille | — |
| 2 | Italian | pallamaglio | pall mall |
| 3 | Italian | palla | ball; bullet, shot; testicles |
| 4 | Latin | palla | A rectangular piece of cloth worn by ladies in... |
| 5 | Frankish | ball | — |
| 6 | Northern Sami | bállu | testicle, ball |
| 7 | Northern Sami | ballát | to become scared |
| 8 | Proto-Samic | pëlājëtēk | to become scared |
| 9 | Proto-Samic | pëlëtēk | to fear |
| 10 | Proto-Uralic | pele- | to fear |