Where does “underminer” come from?
underminer (English) comes from English undermine, from English Mine, from French mine, from Breton min, from Italian mina, from Latin mina, from Gaulish mēnā, from Proto-Celtic *meinis — to cut, hew.
underminer (English): One who undermines
Ancestry of “underminer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | undermine | To dig underneath , to make a passage for... |
| 2 | English | Mine | Alternative letter-case form of mine "often used... |
| 3 | French | mine | mine; pencil lead; piledriver, scorcher |
| 4 | Breton | min | face of an animal; beak, muzzle |
| 5 | Italian | mina | mine, land mine; lead in pencils; mine which... |
| 6 | Latin | mina | A Greek weight equal to 100 drachmas; A Greek... |
| 7 | Gaulish | mēnā | ore, mine |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | *meinis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy(H)nis | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mēy(H)- | to cut, hew |