Where does “Müllfrau” come from?
Müllfrau (German) comes from German Müll, from English mull, from Middle English mollen, from Old French moillier, from Vulgar Latin molliare, from Latin molliāre, from Latin mollis, from Latin molduis — to soften, to melt.
Müllfrau (German): garbage woman, dustwoman, garbage collector
Definitions
- garbage woman, dustwoman, garbage collector
Ancestry of “Müllfrau”, step by step
Müllfrau traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Müll
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Müll | trash, garbage, refuse, waste, junk; nonsense |
| 2 | English | mull | To work mentally; to cogitate; to ruminate; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | mollen | to soften by wetting |
| 4 | Old French | moillier | to wet |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | molliare | to soften by soaking; second-person singular... |
| 6 | Latin | molliāre | soak, drench |
| 7 | Latin | mollis | soft, delicate to the touch; pliant, flexible,... |
| 8 | Latin | molduis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | moldus | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | *ml̥dus | soft, weak |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meld- | to soften, to melt |
via German frau
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | frau | one, they |
| 2 | Middle High German | vrouwe | woman, lady, madam |
| 3 | Old High German | frouwa | lady |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *frauwjā | lady, wife of a lord woman of high standing |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | frawjǭ | lady, wife of a lord |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | proHwo- | master, judge; right judge, master |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |