Where does “meis” come from?

meis (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from German Meise, from Middle High German meise, from Old High German meisa, from Proto-West Germanic maisā, from Proto-Germanic maisǭ — titmouse, chickadee.

meis (Norwegian Nynorsk): a bird of the family Paridae, the tits

Definitions

  1. a bird of the family Paridae, the tits

Ancestry of “meis”, step by step

meis traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Meise

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanMeisechickadee, tit
2Middle High Germanmeise—
3Old High Germanmeisapannier; titmouse
4Proto-West Germanicmaisātitmouse, chickadee
5Proto-Germanicmaisǭtitmouse, chickadee

via Old Norse meiss

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsemeisswooden box, as would be used for counting fish;...
2Proto-Germanicmaisaztiny, puny
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmoysósram, sheep; fleece, skin

Words derived from “meis”

Every word from Proto-Germanic maisǭ →Every word from Proto-West Germanic maisā →Every word from Old High German meisa →