Where does “mule” come from?
mule (Middle French) comes from Medieval Latin mula, from Latin mulleus, from Latin -eus, from Ancient Greek -εῖος, from Proto-Indo-European -iHwós, from Proto-Indo-European -wós — Creates adjectives from verb stems.
mule (Middle French): slipper
Ancestry of “mule”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | mula | — |
| 2 | Latin | mulleus | — |
| 3 | Latin | -eus | argentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -εῖος | Forms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHwós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |