Where does “меншина” come from?

меншина (Ukrainian) comes from Ukrainian ме́нший, from Proto-Slavic mьňьjь, from Proto-Indo-European mēy- — soft, tender, dear.

меншина (Ukrainian): minority group of people who have a different ethnicity, religion, language or culture from that of the majority of people in the place where they live

Definitions

  1. minority group of people who have a different ethnicity, religion, language or culture from that of the majority of people in the place where they live

Ancestry of “меншина”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ukrainianме́ншийsmaller, lesser
2Proto-Slavicmьňьjьsmaller, lesser; comparative degree of *malъ
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmēy-soft, tender, dear
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mēy- →Every word from Proto-Slavic mьňьjь →Every word from Ukrainian ме́нший →