Where does “mail” come from?
mail (French) comes from English email, from Middle French email, from Old French esmal, from Latin smaltum, from Frankish smalt, from Proto-Germanic smeltaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- — to soften, to melt.
mail (French): maul; pall mall mallet; pall mall
Definitions
- maul; pall mall mallet; pall mall
Ancestry of “mail”, step by step
mail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English email
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | A system for transferring messages from one... | |
| 2 | Middle French | — | |
| 3 | Old French | esmal | enamel |
| 4 | Latin | smaltum | enamel |
| 5 | Frankish | smalt | melted fat; fat, lard; oil, semi-liquid fat |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | smeltaną | to melt |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meld- | to soften, to melt |
via Latin malleus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | malleus | hammer, mallet; a disease of animals; the... |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂-no- | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |