Where does “malavita” come from?
malavita (Italian) comes from Italian vita, from Latin vīta, from Latin vīvō, from Proto-Italic gʷīwō, from Proto-Indo-European gʷíh₃weti, from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós, from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- — to live.
malavita (Italian): underworld, gangland; racketeers as a whole
Definitions
- underworld, gangland; racketeers as a whole
Ancestry of “malavita”, step by step
malavita traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian vita
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | vita | life; waist |
| 2 | Latin | vīta | life |
| 3 | Latin | vīvō | to live |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | gʷīwō | live, be alive |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷíh₃weti | to live, to be alive |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |
via Italian malo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | malo | bad, evil, wicked; unfit, incompetent, inadequate |
| 2 | Latin | malus | unpleasant, distressing, painful, nasty, bad;... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | μηλέα | apple tree |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μῆλον | apple; any fruit from a tree; a woman's breast |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meh₁l- | small animal”; small animal |