Where does “mine” come from?
mine (Norman) comes from Breton min, from Italian mina, from Latin mina, from Gaulish mēnā, from Proto-Celtic *meinis, from Proto-Indo-European mēy(H)nis, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mēy(H)- — to cut, hew.
Ancestry of “mine”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breton | min | face of an animal; beak, muzzle |
| 2 | Italian | mina | mine, land mine; lead in pencils; mine which... |
| 3 | Latin | mina | A Greek weight equal to 100 drachmas; A Greek... |
| 4 | Gaulish | mēnā | ore, mine |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | *meinis | ore, metal |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy(H)nis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mēy(H)- | to cut, hew |