Where does “a malapena” come from?
a malapena (Italian) comes from Italian mala, from Italian malo, from Latin malus, from Ancient Greek μηλέα, from Ancient Greek μῆλον, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meh₁l- — small animal”; small animal.
a malapena (Italian): hardly, scarcely
Definitions
- hardly, scarcely
Ancestry of “a malapena”, step by step
a malapena traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian mala
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | mala | underworld, gangland |
| 2 | Italian | malo | bad, evil, wicked; unfit, incompetent, inadequate |
| 3 | Latin | malus | unpleasant, distressing, painful, nasty, bad;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μηλέα | apple tree |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μῆλον | apple; any fruit from a tree; a woman's breast |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meh₁l- | small animal”; small animal |
via Italian pena
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | pena | sorrow; trouble; worry, anxiety |
| 2 | Latin | poenā | penalty, punishment |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ποινή | blood money, wergeld; fine, ransom, penalty,... |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | kʷoinā́ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷoynéh₂ | payment; punishment, vengeance |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷey- | to pay; to avenge |