Where does “maïs” come from?
maïs (French) comes from Old French mais, from Latin magis, from Dutch magisch, from Dutch magie, from French magie, from Middle French magie, from Latin magīa, from Ancient Greek μαγεία — to be able.
maïs (French): corn, maize
Definitions
- corn, maize
Ancestry of “maïs”, step by step
maïs traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French mais
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | mais | but |
| 2 | Latin | magis | more; more greatly; better |
| 3 | Dutch | magisch | magical, controlled or determined by supernatural... |
| 4 | Dutch | magie | magic, sorcery occult woo, black or white magic, etc.; hence supernatural occurrences or phenonomena |
| 5 | French | magie | magic; A magical, surprising, fascinating feat;... |
| 6 | Middle French | magie | — |
| 7 | Latin | magīa | magic, sorcery |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | μαγεία | theology of the Magians |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | Μάγος | magician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,... |
| 10 | Old Persian | 𐎶𐎦𐏁 | priest |
| 11 | Proto-Iranian | magúš | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | magʰúš | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ-ú-s | — |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |