Where does “windmill” come from?
Windmill derives from Middle English windmille, combining Old English wind with Old English windmylen, ultimately from Proto-Germanic mulīnō and Proto-Indo-European h₂weh₁-, meaning to blow or move.
windmill (English): A machine which translates linear motion of wind...
Definitions
- A machine which translates linear motion of wind...
Ancestry of “windmill”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wyndmylne | windmill wind-powered mill |
| 2 | Norwegian Nynorsk | mylne | mill |
| 3 | Old Norse | mylna | — |
| 4 | Old English | mylen | mill |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *mulīnu | mill |
| 6 | Latin | molīna | — |
| 7 | Latin | mola | millstone; mill; ground meal |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |