Where does “mesdames” come from?
mesdames (French) comes from French mes, from Old French mes, from Latin magis, from Dutch magisch, from Dutch magie, from French magie, from Middle French magie, from Latin magīa — to be able.
mesdames (French): plural of madame
Definitions
- plural of madame
Ancestry of “mesdames”, step by step
mesdames traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French mes
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | mes | my |
| 2 | Old French | mes | but; my |
| 3 | Latin | magis | more; more greatly; better |
| 4 | Dutch | magisch | magical, controlled or determined by supernatural... |
| 5 | Dutch | magie | magic, sorcery occult woo, black or white magic, etc.; hence supernatural occurrences or phenonomena |
| 6 | French | magie | magic; A magical, surprising, fascinating feat;... |
| 7 | Middle French | magie | — |
| 8 | Latin | magīa | magic, sorcery |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | μαγεία | theology of the Magians |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | Μάγος | magician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,... |
| 11 | Old Persian | 𐎶𐎦𐏁 | priest |
| 12 | Proto-Iranian | magúš | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | magʰúš | — |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ-ú-s | — |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |
via French dames
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | dames | plural of dame |
| 2 | French | dame | A lady; A polite form of address for a woman;... |
| 3 | Old French | dame | lady; woman |
| 4 | Late Latin | domna | lady, mistress |
| 5 | Latin | domina | lady or mistress of the house |
| 6 | Latin | Dominus | the Lord; Lord; The Lord |
| 7 | Latin | domus | house, home; any building or abode; native place,... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | domos | house, home |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dṓm | home; house |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dem- | to build; to arrange, to put together |