Where does “monk” come from?

monk (Middle English) comes from Old English munuc, from Latin monachus, from Ancient Greek μοναχός, from Ancient Greek μόνος, from Ancient Greek σπέρμα, from Proto-Hellenic *spérmə.

monk (Middle English): A monk; a male member of a monastic community excluding mendicants

Definitions

  1. A monk; a male member of a monastic community excluding mendicants

Ancestry of “monk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmunucmonk
2Latinmonachusmonk
3Ancient Greekμοναχόςsolitary, single; monk, monastic
4Ancient Greekμόνοςalone, forsaken, solitary; only; unique
5Ancient Greekσπέρμαseed; semen, sperm; seed-time, sowing
6Proto-Hellenic*spérmə—

Words derived from “monk”

Every word from Proto-Hellenic *spérmə →Every word from Ancient Greek σπέρμα →Every word from Ancient Greek μόνος →