Where does “mai” come from?
mai (Romanian) comes from Latin magis, from Dutch magisch, from Dutch magie, from French magie, from Middle French magie, from Latin magīa, from Ancient Greek μαγεία, from Ancient Greek Μάγος — to be able.
mai (Romanian): May; more; mallet, maul, sledgehammer, rammer,...
Definitions
- May; more; mallet, maul, sledgehammer, rammer,...
Ancestry of “mai”, step by step
mai traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin magis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | magis | more; more greatly; better |
| 2 | Dutch | magisch | magical, controlled or determined by supernatural... |
| 3 | Dutch | magie | magic, sorcery occult woo, black or white magic, etc.; hence supernatural occurrences or phenonomena |
| 4 | French | magie | magic; A magical, surprising, fascinating feat;... |
| 5 | Middle French | magie | — |
| 6 | Latin | magīa | magic, sorcery |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μαγεία | theology of the Magians |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | Μάγος | magician, and derogatorily sorcerer, trickster,... |
| 9 | Old Persian | 𐎶𐎦𐏁 | priest |
| 10 | Proto-Iranian | magúš | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | magʰúš | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ-ú-s | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |
via Old Church Slavonic маи
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Church Slavonic | маи | May |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | Μάϊος | May |
| 3 | Latin | Māius | “month”}} of May |
| 4 | Latin | Maia | nominative feminine singular of Maius; nominative... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μαῖα | midwife; foster mother, nurse; good mother, dame |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μήτηρ | mother; source or origin |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | mā́tēr | mother |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | méh₂tēr | mother |