Where does “mule” come from?

mule (Old Swedish) comes from Old Norse múli, from Proto-Germanic mūlô, from Proto-Indo-European mū- — fly, mosquito; fly, midge; lips, muzzle.

mule (Old Swedish): muzzle

Definitions

  1. muzzle

Ancestry of “mule”, step by step

mule traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse múli

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsemúli—
2Proto-Germanicmūlômuzzle
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmū-fly, mosquito; fly, midge; lips, muzzle

via Latin mūlus

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinmūlusa mule (pack animal)

Words derived from “mule”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mū- →Every word from Proto-Germanic mūlô →Every word from Old Norse múli →