Where does “mal” come from?
mal (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Dutch mal, from Old French mole, from Latin modulus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
mal (Norwegian Nynorsk): aim, goal, purpose, target, destination; measure,...
Definitions
- aim, goal, purpose, target, destination; measure,...
Ancestry of “mal”, step by step
mal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch mal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | mal | mold, cast; foolish, crazy, lacking common sense |
| 2 | Old French | mole | — |
| 3 | Latin | modulus | a small measure or interval; a module; a water... |
| 4 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via Old Norse mál
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | mál | language; speech; matter, affair |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | mēlą | measure, measurement; time, occasion; point in... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |