Where does “mein” come from?
mein (German) comes from Old High German mīn, from Proto-West Germanic mīn, from Proto-Germanic mīnaz, from Proto-Indo-European méynos, from Proto-Indo-European mei — to fix, to build fortifications or fences.
mein (German): my; genitive of ich
Ancestry of “mein”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | mīn | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | mīn | my, mine |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | mīnaz | my, mine; 1st person singular possessive |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | méynos | my; mine |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | mei | to fix, to build fortifications or fences |