Where does “mile” come from?

mile (Middle English) comes from Old English mīl, from Latin mīlia, from Proto-West Germanic mīliju, from Latin Mīlle, from Proto-Italic smīɣeslī, from Proto-Indo-European smih₂ǵʰéslih₂.

mile (Middle English): millet; The seed of millet; Alternative form of...

Definitions

  1. millet; The seed of millet; Alternative form of...

Ancestry of “mile”, step by step

mile traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English mīl

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmīlmillet; mile
2Latinmīlia—
3Proto-West Germanicmīlijumile
4LatinMīllethousand; 1000
5Proto-Italicsmīɣeslīthousand
6Proto-Indo-Europeansmih₂ǵʰéslih₂—

via Latin milium

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinmiliummillet; genitive plural of mīlle
2Proto-Italicmeljom—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange
Every word from Proto-Indo-European smih₂ǵʰéslih₂ →Every word from Proto-Italic smīɣeslī →Every word from Latin Mīlle →