Where does “menestrel” come from?
menestrel (Middle English) comes from Old French menestral, from Latin ministerialis, from Latin ministerium, from Latin -ium, from Latin -ius, from Proto-Italic -jōs, from Proto-Indo-European -yós — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.
Ancestry of “menestrel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | menestral | entertainer, servant, official |
| 2 | Latin | ministerialis | servant, employee; ministerial, servants |
| 3 | Latin | ministerium | ministry; employment, ministration; service |
| 4 | Latin | -ium | Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes... |
| 5 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |