Where does “mages” come from?
mages (Middle English) comes from Latin magus, from Ancient Greek Μάγος, from Old Persian 𐎶𐎦𐏁, from Proto-Iranian magúš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian magʰúš, from Proto-Indo-European megʰ-ú-s, from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- — to be able.
mages (Middle English): Wizards, occult scholars; those with great...
Definitions
- Wizards, occult scholars; those with great...
Ancestry of “mages”, step by step
mages traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin magus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | magus | magic, magical; magician, and derogatorily... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | Μάγος | magician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,... |
| 3 | Old Persian | 𐎶𐎦𐏁 | priest |
| 4 | Proto-Iranian | magúš | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | magʰúš | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ-ú-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |
via Latin magi
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | magi | nominative plural of magus; genitive singular of... |