Where does “maistresse” come from?
maistresse (Old French) comes from Old French maistre, from Latin magister, from Proto-Italic magisteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂isteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s — big, great.
Ancestry of “maistresse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | maistre | master; Master; magister |
| 2 | Latin | magister | teacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,... |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | magisteros | bigger, greater |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂isteros | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |