Where does “mai” come from?
mai (Italian) comes from Latin magis, from Dutch magisch, from Dutch magie, from French magie, from Middle French magie, from Latin magīa, from Ancient Greek μαγεία, from Ancient Greek Μάγος — to be able.
mai (Italian): never; ever, always; Used as an intensifier
Definitions
- never; ever, always; Used as an intensifier
Ancestry of “mai”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | magis | more; more greatly; better |
| 2 | Dutch | magisch | magical, controlled or determined by supernatural... |
| 3 | Dutch | magie | magic, sorcery occult woo, black or white magic, etc.; hence supernatural occurrences or phenonomena |
| 4 | French | magie | magic; A magical, surprising, fascinating feat;... |
| 5 | Middle French | magie | — |
| 6 | Latin | magīa | magic, sorcery |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μαγεία | theology of the Magians |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | Μάγος | magician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,... |
| 9 | Old Persian | 𐎶𐎦𐏁 | priest |
| 10 | Proto-Iranian | magúš | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | magʰúš | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ-ú-s | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |