Where does “меншість” come from?

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

меншість (Ukrainian): minority group constituting less than half of the whole

Definitions

  1. minority group constituting less than half of the whole

Ancestry of “меншість”, 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 →