Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “miller” come from?

miller (Middle English) comes from Middle English mylner, from Old English myllere, from Middle English mylnere, from Norwegian Nynorsk mylne, from Old Norse mylna, from Old English mylen, from Proto-West Germanic *mulīnu, from Latin molīna — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

Ancestry of “miller”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmylner—
2Old Englishmyllere—
3Middle Englishmylnere—
4Norwegian Nynorskmylnemill
5Old Norsemylna—
6Old Englishmylenmill
7Proto-West Germanic*mulīnu—
8Latinmolīna—
9Latinmolamillstone; mill; ground meal
10Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
11Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
12Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

Words derived from “miller”

  • Miller
  • miller
  • Millerite
  • windmiller
  • millerite
  • Millerian
  • watermiller
  • milleress
  • Miller
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →