Where does “mesquinho” come from?
mesquinho (Portuguese) comes from Arabic مِسْكِين, from Classical Syriac ܡܣܟܝܢܐ, from Aramaic מִסְכֵּינָא, from Akkadian muškēnum — commoner, dependent (a class of people dependent or reliant on others, unable to provide supplies on their own).
mesquinho (Portuguese): stingy, mean, miserly, niggardly
Definitions
- stingy, mean, miserly, niggardly
Ancestry of “mesquinho”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arabic | مِسْكِين | poor, to be pitied |
| 2 | Classical Syriac | ܡܣܟܝܢܐ | poor, poverty-stricken, needy; meager/meagre,... |
| 3 | Aramaic | מִסְכֵּינָא | — |
| 4 | Akkadian | muškēnum | commoner, dependent (a class of people dependent or reliant on others, unable to provide supplies on their own) |