Where does “malard” come from?
malard (Middle English) comes from Old French mallart, from Old French masle, from Vulgar Latin masclus, from Latin masculus, from Latin mās, from Proto-Nuristani *māsa, from Proto-Indo-Iranian mā́Has, from Proto-Indo-European mḗh₁n̥s — to measure.
Ancestry of “malard”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | mallart | male wild duck |
| 2 | Old French | masle | male |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | masclus | Alternative form of masculus; male |
| 4 | Latin | masculus | male, masculine; man, male |
| 5 | Latin | mās | — |
| 6 | Proto-Nuristani | *māsa | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | mā́Has | moon; month |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mḗh₁n̥s | moon; month |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | meh₁- | to measure |