Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “menu” come from?

menu (French) comes from Middle French menu, from Old French menu, from Latin minūtus, from Proto-Italic minwō, from Proto-Indo-European mēy- — soft, tender, dear.

menu (French): slim, small, fine; minor, trifling; detailed list

Definitions

  1. slim, small, fine; minor, trifling; detailed list

Ancestry of “menu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchmenusmall
2Old Frenchmenusmall
3Latinminūtus—
4Proto-Italicminwō—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmēy-soft, tender, dear

Words derived from “menu”

  • menu
  • submenu
  • minuet
  • menuing
  • menuless
  • menued
  • minuetlike
  • menuese
  • megamenu
  • menú
  • menu
  • меню
  • меню́
  • menuet
  • menu
  • Untermenü
  • Menü
  • Menuett
  • menu
  • menu
  • menú
  • メヌエット
  • menubalk
  • menu
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mēy- →