Where does “melon” come from?
melon (Old French) comes from Latin melonem, from Latin melopeponem, from Ancient Greek μηλοπέπων, from Ancient Greek πέπων, from Proto-Indo-European pékʷeti, from Proto-Indo-European pekʷ-, from Proto-Indo-European h₃-ép-kʷ-.
melon (Old French): melon (fruit)
Definitions
- melon (fruit)
Ancestry of “melon”, step by step
melon traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin melonem
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | melonem | accusative singular of mēlō |
| 2 | Latin | melopeponem | A type of pumpkin |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | μηλοπέπων | melon, "Cucumis melo" |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πέπων | ripe, softened; good, sweet, kind; weak, cowardly |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pékʷeti | to be cooking; to ripen |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pekʷ- | to cook; to ripen |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃-ép-kʷ- | — |
via Latin mēlō
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | mēlō | melon, muskmelon |
| 2 | Latin | mēlopepō | a fragrant (at least for its time), quince-shaped, golden-colored variety of melon (sp. Cucumis melo) that appeared in the Roman Empire |
| 3 | Koine Greek | μηλοπέπων | melon, "Cucumis melo" |
via Medieval Latin melonem
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | melonem | — |