Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “supermassif” come from?

supermassif (French) comes from French massif, from Old French massiz, from Vulgar Latin *massīcius, from Latin massa, from Ancient Greek μᾶζα, from Ancient Greek μάσσω, from Proto-Indo-European mh₂ǵyéti, from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ǵ- — to knead, stroke.

supermassif (French): supermassive

Definitions

  1. supermassive

Ancestry of “supermassif”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmassifmassif; massive
2Old Frenchmassiz—
3Vulgar Latin*massīcius—
4Latinmassamass, bulk; load, burden; dough
5Ancient Greekμᾶζαbarley-bread or cake
6Ancient Greekμάσσωto handle, work with my hands, knead; to wipe
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmh₂ǵyéti—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmeh₂ǵ-to knead, stroke

Words derived from “supermassif”

  • supermassive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ǵ- →