Where does “ma” come from?
ma (Ido) comes from French maïs, from Old French mais, from Latin magis, from Dutch magisch, from Dutch magie, from French magie, from Middle French magie, from Latin magīa — to be able.
ma (Ido): but
Definitions
- but
Ancestry of “ma”, step by step
ma traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via French maïs
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | maïs | corn, maize |
| 2 | Old French | mais | but |
| 3 | Latin | magis | more; more greatly; better |
| 4 | Dutch | magisch | magical, controlled or determined by supernatural... |
| 5 | Dutch | magie | magic, sorcery occult woo, black or white magic, etc.; hence supernatural occurrences or phenonomena |
| 6 | French | magie | magic; A magical, surprising, fascinating feat;... |
| 7 | Middle French | magie | — |
| 8 | Latin | magīa | magic, sorcery |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | μαγεία | theology of the Magians |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | Μάγος | magician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,... |
| 11 | Old Persian | 𐎶𐎦𐏁 | priest |
| 12 | Proto-Iranian | magúš | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | magʰúš | — |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ-ú-s | — |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |
via Spanish más
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | más | more; -er; most; -est; furthermore |
| 2 | Old Spanish | mas | more; -er |
via Italian ma
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | ma | but; Abbreviation of mamma; Indicates emotion or... |