Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “mittel” come from?

mittel (German) comes from Middle High German mittel, from Old High German mittil, from Proto-Germanic midlą, from Proto-Germanic midjō, from Proto-Indo-European médʰyos, from Proto-Indo-European medʰi-, from Proto-Indo-European me — in the middle of, near, by, around, with.

mittel (German): middle, in the middle; average, middling

Definitions

  1. middle, in the middle; average, middling

Ancestry of “mittel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanmittel—
2Old High Germanmittil—
3Proto-Germanicmidląmiddle
4Proto-Germanicmidjōmiddle, midst
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmédʰyosmiddle
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmedʰi-with, among; with, along
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmein the middle of, near, by, around, with

Words derived from “mittel”

  • Mittelwort
  • spätmittelniederländisch
  • mittlerer
  • Erdmittelzeit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European me →