Where does “Mädchen” come from?

Mädchen (German) comes from German Magd, from Middle High German maget, from Old High German magad, from Proto-West Germanic magaþ, from Proto-Germanic magaþs, from Proto-Indo-European mogʰus — boy; young person; boy-servant?; young person.

Mädchen (German): girl; maiden

Definitions

  1. girl; maiden

Ancestry of “Mädchen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanMagdmaid; female servant, especially on a farm; girl;...
2Middle High Germanmagetvirgin
3Old High Germanmagadmaiden
4Proto-West Germanicmagaþgirl
5Proto-Germanicmagaþsmaiden, girl; virgin
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmogʰusboy; young person; boy-servant?; young person

Words derived from “Mädchen

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mogʰus