Where does “marmelade” come from?
marmelade (Middle French) comes from Portuguese marmelada, from Galician marmelo, from Old Portuguese marmelo, from Latin melimelum, from Ancient Greek μελίμηλον, from Ancient Greek μῆλον, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meh₁l- — small animal”; small animal.
Ancestry of “marmelade”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | marmelada | quince jam, quince cheese |
| 2 | Galician | marmelo | quince |
| 3 | Old Portuguese | marmelo | — |
| 4 | Latin | melimelum | honey apple, sweet apple |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μελίμηλον | geniting, a variety of apple |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μῆλον | apple; any fruit from a tree; a woman's breast |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meh₁l- | small animal”; small animal |