Where does “messen” come from?

messen (Middle English) comes from Old French mes, from Latin magis, from Dutch magisch, from Dutch magie, from French magie, from Middle French magie, from Latin magīa, from Ancient Greek μαγεία — to be able.

messen (Middle English): To hold Mass or the Eucharist; To deliver food...

Definitions

  1. To hold Mass or the Eucharist; To deliver food...

Ancestry of “messen”, step by step

messen traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old French mes

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchmesbut; my
2Latinmagismore; more greatly; better
3Dutchmagischmagical, controlled or determined by supernatural...
4Dutchmagiemagic, sorcery occult woo, black or white magic, etc.; hence supernatural occurrences or phenonomena
5Frenchmagiemagic; A magical, surprising, fascinating feat;...
6Middle Frenchmagie
7Latinmagīamagic, sorcery
8Ancient Greekμαγείαtheology of the Magians
9Ancient GreekΜάγοςmagician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,...
10Old Persian𐎶𐎦𐏁priest
11Proto-Iranianmagúš
12Proto-Indo-Iranianmagʰúš
13Proto-Indo-Europeanmegʰ-ú-s
14Proto-Indo-Europeanmegʰ-to be able

via Middle English masse

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishmasseA lump, blob, or mass; A collection or mass of...
2Old Englishmæssemass
3Vulgar LatinmessaEucharist, dismissal; Eucharist; dismissal;...
4LatinmissaMass; Christian eucharistic liturgy; nominative...
5Latinmissumaccusative supine of mittō; inflection of...
6Latinmittōto send, dispatch, cause to go, let go, release, discharge
7Proto-Italicmeitōto put forth, put out
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmeyth₂-to hurt; to exchange, remove; to replace, to...

via Old English mæssian

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmæssianto say mass
Every word from Proto-Indo-European megʰ-Every word from Proto-Indo-European megʰ-ú-sEvery word from Proto-Indo-Iranian magʰúš
messen — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer