Where does “machin” come from?
machin (French) comes from French machine, from Middle French machine, from Latin māchina, from Ancient Greek μαχανά, from Ancient Greek μηχανή, from Ancient Greek μῆχος, from Proto-Indo-European meǵʰ-.
machin (French): thingy, thingamabob
Ancestry of “machin”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | machine | machine, device; machine |
| 2 | Middle French | machine | machine; device |
| 3 | Latin | māchina | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μαχανά | Doric form of μηχᾰνή |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μηχανή | contrivance, machine, device, gear; way, means |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μῆχος | means, expedient, remedy |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | meǵʰ- | — |