Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “muscles” come from?

muscles (French) comes from French muscle, from Middle French muscle, from Latin mūsculus, from Ancient Greek μῦς, from Proto-Hellenic *mū́s, from Proto-Indo-Iranian múHs, from Proto-Indo-European múh₂s — mouse.

muscles (French): plural of muscle; second-person singular present...

Definitions

  1. plural of muscle; second-person singular present...

Ancestry of “muscles”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmusclemuscle; first-person singular present indicative...
2Middle Frenchmusclemuscle
3Latinmūsculus—
4Ancient Greekμῦςmouse; A type of mussel; A type of whale
5Proto-Hellenic*mū́s—
6Proto-Indo-IranianmúHsmouse
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmúh₂smouse
Every word from Proto-Indo-European múh₂s →