Where does “mało-” come from?

mało- (Polish) comes from Old Polish mały, from Proto-Slavic malъ, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- — small; little.

mało- (Polish): small

Definitions

  1. small

Ancestry of “mało-”, step by step

mało- traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Polish mały

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Polishmałysmall, little
2Proto-Slavicmalъsmall; little
3Proto-Indo-European(s)mal-small; little

via Kashubian môłi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Kashubianmôłilittle, small
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- →Every word from Proto-Slavic malъ →Every word from Old Polish mały →