Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “min” come from?

min (Middle English) comes from Old English mīn, from Proto-Germanic *mīn, from Proto-Germanic mīnaz, from Proto-Indo-European méynos, from Proto-Indo-European mei — to fix, to build fortifications or fences.

min (Middle English): First-person singular genitive determiner: my;...

Definitions

  1. First-person singular genitive determiner: my;...

Ancestry of “min”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmīnmy, mine
2Proto-Germanic*mīn—
3Proto-Germanicmīnazmy, mine; 1st person singular possessive
4Proto-Indo-Europeanméynosmy; mine
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmeito fix, to build fortifications or fences

Words derived from “min”

  • mine
  • mining
  • min
  • undermine
  • undermining
  • miner
  • minefield
  • milord
  • milady
  • minesweeper
  • coalmining
  • coalmine
  • countermine
  • minesweeping
  • mineshaft
  • miny
  • minelayer
  • minable
  • coalminer
  • mineworker
  • mineable
  • underminer
  • nonmining
  • unminable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mei →