Where does “moll” come from?

moll (Manx) comes from Middle Irish mellaid, from Middle Irish mell, from Old Irish meld, from Proto-Celtic *meldos, from Proto-Indo-European meld-, from Proto-Indo-European mel-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

moll (Manx): fool, baffle, foil, beguile, cajole, captivate,...

Definitions

  1. fool, baffle, foil, beguile, cajole, captivate,...

Ancestry of “moll”, step by step

moll traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Irish mellaid

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Irishmellaidto deceive, beguile, seduce
2Middle Irishmellpleasant, delightful
3Old Irishmeld
4Proto-Celtic*meldos
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmeld-to beat, crush, grind
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

via Old Irish mul

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Irishmullump, heap; a globular mass, heap, lump

Words derived from “moll

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey-Every word from Proto-Indo-European mel-Every word from Proto-Indo-European meld-