Where does “mineral” come from?
mineral (Romanian) comes from French minéral, from German Mineral, from Medieval Latin minerale, from Latin minera, from Middle French miniere, from Middle French -ier, from Middle French -er, from Latin -āre — he, she.
Ancestry of “mineral”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | minéral | mineral |
| 2 | German | Mineral | mineral |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | minerale | mineral, ore, mine; nominative neuter singular of... |
| 4 | Latin | minera | mine; vein; mineral |
| 5 | Middle French | miniere | underground passage or area |
| 6 | Middle French | -ier | Alternative form of -er |
| 7 | Middle French | -er | Forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs;... |
| 8 | Latin | -āre | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 13 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |