Where does “mélange” come from?
mélange (Middle French) comes from Old French meslance, from Old French mescler, from Vulgar Latin misculare, from Latin misceō, from Proto-Italic mikskō, from Proto-Indo-European miḱ-sḱé-, from Proto-Indo-European meyḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
Ancestry of “mélange”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | meslance | — |
| 2 | Old French | mescler | to mingle, mix up |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | misculare | present active infinitive of *misculō |
| 4 | Latin | misceō | to mix; to mingle; to intermingle |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | mikskō | to mix |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | miḱ-sḱé- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | meyḱ- | to mix |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |