Where does “mental” come from?
mental (Middle French) comes from Latin mentālis, from Latin mēns, from Proto-Italic mentis, from Proto-Indo-European méntis, from Indo-European *men-.
Ancestry of “mental”, step by step
mental traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin mentālis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | mentālis | mental |
| 2 | Latin | mēns | mind |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | mentis | mind, thought |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | méntis | thought |
| 5 | Indo-European | *men- | — |
via Late Latin mentalis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | mentalis | of the mind, mental |