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
- scrawny, skinny
Ancestry of “mawga”, step by step
mawga traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English meager
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | meager | Having little flesh; lean; thin; Poor, deficient... |
| 2 | Middle English | megre | Lean, haggard; suffering the physical effects of... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | megre | — |
| 4 | Old French | maigre | — |
| 5 | Latin | Macer | lean, skinny, meager |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | makros | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mh₂ḱrós | lean, meager |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | meh₂ḱ- | to raise, increase; long |