Where does “Massif central” come from?
Massif central (French) comes from French massif, from Old French massiz, from Vulgar Latin *massīcius, from Latin massa, from Ancient Greek μᾶζα, from Ancient Greek μάσσω, from Proto-Indo-European mh₂ǵyéti, from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ǵ- — to knead, stroke.
Ancestry of “Massif central”, step by step
Massif central traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French massif
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | massif | massif; massive |
| 2 | Old French | massiz | — |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | *massīcius | — |
| 4 | Latin | massa | mass, bulk; load, burden; dough |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μᾶζα | barley-bread or cake |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μάσσω | to handle, work with my hands, knead; to wipe |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mh₂ǵyéti | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | meh₂ǵ- | to knead, stroke |