Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “moindre” come from?

moindre (French) comes from Old French meindre, from Latin minor, from Latin minae, from Proto-Italic *eksmenā.

moindre (French): lower; less; lesser; The smallest, the slightest,...

Definitions

  1. lower; less; lesser; The smallest, the slightest,...

Ancestry of “moindre”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchmeindre—
2Latinminorcomparative degree of parvus; lesser, inferior,...
3Latinminaeprojecting points, pinnacles, battlements,...
4Proto-Italic*eksmenā—

Words derived from “moindre”

  • amoindrir
  • moindrement
  • amoindrissable
Every word from Proto-Italic *eksmenā →