Where does “mail” come from?

mail (Old French) comes from Latin malleus, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-no-, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European mel-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

mail (Old French): a hammer

Definitions

  1. a hammer

Ancestry of “mail”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinmalleushammer, mallet; a disease of animals; the...
2Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-no-—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

Words derived from “mail”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European mel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European melh₂- →