Where does “borgermester” come from?

borgermester (Middle Low German) comes from Norwegian Bokmål mester, from Old Norse meistari, from Middle Low German meister, from Old Saxon mēstar, from Old French maistre, from Latin magister, from Proto-Italic magisteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂isteros — big, great.

Ancestry of “borgermester”, step by step

borgermester traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Bokmål mester

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålmestera champion; a master
2Old Norsemeistari—
3Middle Low Germanmeister—
4Old Saxonmēstar—
5Old Frenchmaistremaster; Master; magister
6Latinmagisterteacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,...
7Proto-Italicmagisterosbigger, greater
8Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂isteros—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂sbig, great

via Norwegian Bokmål borger

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålborgerindefinite plural of borg; a citizen

via Middle Low German borgemester

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germanborgemester—

Words derived from “borgermester”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s →Every word from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂isteros →Every word from Proto-Italic magisteros →