Where does “may-” come from?
may- (Tagalog) comes from Tagalog May, from English May, from French mai, from Old French mai, from Latin Māius, from Latin Maia, from Ancient Greek μαῖα, from Ancient Greek μήτηρ — mother.
Ancestry of “may-”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Tagalog | May | — |
| 2 | English | May | — |
| 3 | French | mai | May |
| 4 | Old French | mai | — |
| 5 | Latin | Māius | — |
| 6 | Latin | Maia | nominative feminine singular of Maius; nominative... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μαῖα | midwife; foster mother, nurse; good mother, dame |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | μήτηρ | mother; source or origin |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | mā́tēr | mother |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | méh₂tēr | mother |