Where does “mecche” come from?

mecche (Middle English) comes from Old French mesche, from Vulgar Latin micca, from Latin mīca, from Proto-Italic smīkā, from Proto-Indo-European smēyg-, from Proto-Indo-European smē- — to rub; smear.

mecche (Middle English): wick of a candle

Definitions

  1. wick of a candle

Ancestry of “mecche”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchmesche—
2Vulgar Latinmicca—
3Latinmīcaa grain, crumb
4Proto-Italicsmīkā—
5Proto-Indo-Europeansmēyg-small, delicate, thin; twig, pole; crumb; small,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeansmē-to rub; smear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European smē- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European smēyg- →Every word from Proto-Italic smīkā →