Where does “madonna” come from?
madonna (Italian) comes from Italian ma, from Latin magis, from Dutch magisch, from Dutch magie, from French magie, from Middle French magie, from Latin magīa, from Ancient Greek μαγεία — to be able.
madonna (Italian): Honorific title used to address women
Definitions
- Honorific title used to address women
Ancestry of “madonna”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | ma | but; Abbreviation of mamma; Indicates emotion or... |
| 2 | Latin | magis | more; more greatly; better |
| 3 | Dutch | magisch | magical, controlled or determined by supernatural... |
| 4 | Dutch | magie | magic, sorcery ; hence supernatural occurrences... |
| 5 | French | magie | magic; A magical, surprising, fascinating feat;... |
| 6 | Middle French | magie | — |
| 7 | Latin | magīa | — |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | μαγεία | — |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | Μάγος | magician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,... |
| 10 | Old Persian | 𐎶𐎦𐏁 | priest |
| 11 | Proto-Iranian | magúš | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | magʰúš | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ-ú-s | — |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |
Words derived from “madonna”