Etymology Explorer › Jamaican Creole

Where does “mawga” come from?

mawga (Jamaican Creole) comes from English meager, from Middle English megre, from Anglo-Norman megre, from Old French maigre, from Latin Macer, from Proto-Italic makros, from Proto-Indo-European mh₂ḱrós, from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ḱ- — to raise, increase; long.

mawga (Jamaican Creole): scrawny, skinny

Definitions

  1. scrawny, skinny

Ancestry of “mawga”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmeagerHaving little flesh; lean; thin; Poor, deficient...
2Middle EnglishmegreLean, haggard; suffering the physical effects of...
3Anglo-Normanmegre—
4Old Frenchmaigre—
5LatinMacer—
6Proto-Italicmakros—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmh₂ḱróslean, meager
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmeh₂ḱ-to raise, increase; long

Words derived from “mawga”

  • maga
Every word from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ḱ- →