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
Ancestry of “semmai”, step by step
| 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 ; 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 |