Where does “moist” come from?
moist (Middle English) comes from Old French moiste, from Vulgar Latin mucidus, from Latin mucidus, from Latin mūceō, from Latin mūcus, from Proto-Italic moukos, from Proto-Indo-European mew-k- — slimy, slippery; slip, slime.
Ancestry of “moist”, step by step
moist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French moiste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | moiste | damp; wet; clammy; moist |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | mucidus | moldy, musty; sniveling |
| 3 | Latin | mucidus | moldy, musty; sniveling |
| 4 | Latin | mūceō | to be mouldy or musty |
| 5 | Latin | mūcus | mucus |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | moukos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mew-k- | slimy, slippery; slip, slime |
via Middle French moiste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | moiste | damp, mouldy, wet |