Where does “milhão” come from?

milhão (Portuguese) comes from Portuguese Milho, from Old Portuguese milho, from Latin milium, from Proto-Italic meljom, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European mel-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

milhão (Portuguese): A million, 10

Definitions

  1. A million, 10

Ancestry of “milhão”, step by step

milhão traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Portuguese Milho

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1PortugueseMilhomaize seeds of the plant
2Old Portuguesemilho—
3Latinmiliummillet; genitive plural of mīlle
4Proto-Italicmeljom—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmelh₂-to grind, to crush
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmel-soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

via Italian milione

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianmilionemillion
2Italianmillethousand
3LatinMīllethousand; 1000
4Proto-Italicsmīɣeslīthousand
5Proto-Indo-Europeansmih₂ǵʰéslih₂—

Words derived from “milhão”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European mel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European melh₂- →