Where does “semmai” come from?
semmai (Italian) comes from Italian mai, 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.
semmai (Italian): if ever; eventually
Definitions
- if ever; eventually
Ancestry of “semmai”, step by step
semmai traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian mai
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | mai | never; ever, always; Used as an intensifier |
| 2 | Latin | magis | more; more greatly; better |
| 3 | Dutch | magisch | magical, controlled or determined by supernatural... |
| 4 | Dutch | magie | magic, sorcery occult woo, black or white magic, etc.; hence supernatural occurrences or phenonomena |
| 5 | French | magie | magic; A magical, surprising, fascinating feat;... |
| 6 | Middle French | magie | — |
| 7 | Latin | magīa | magic, sorcery |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | μαγεία | theology of the Magians |
| 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 |
via Italian sé
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | sé | oneself, himself, herself |
| 2 | Italian | benché | although, though; albeit |
| 3 | Italian | bene | upper-class, posh, high; well, nicely, OK, right;... |
| 4 | Latin | bene | well; properly, exactly; agreeably, favorably |
| 5 | Latin | bonus | good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant;... |
| 6 | Old Latin | duenos | Alternative form of duonus |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | dwenos | good |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dew- | to show favour, revere; to fail, to lag, to be... |