Where does “mile” come from?
mile (Middle Dutch) comes from Latin mīlia, from Proto-West Germanic mīliju, from Latin Mīlle, from Proto-Italic smīɣeslī, from Proto-Indo-European smih₂ǵʰéslih₂.
Ancestry of “mile”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | mīlia | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | mīliju | mile |
| 3 | Latin | Mīlle | thousand; 1000 |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | smīɣeslī | thousand |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | smih₂ǵʰéslih₂ | — |