Where does “minion” come from?
minion (Welsh) comes from Welsh min, from Malay makna, from Indonesian nirmakna, from English meaningless, from English meaning, from English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn — smoke; mist, haze.
Ancestry of “minion”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Welsh | min | point, sharp edge |
| 2 | Malay | makna | meaning; meaning, significance |
| 3 | Indonesian | nirmakna | meaningless: lacking meaning |
| 4 | English | meaningless | Lacking meaning; Insignificant; not worthy of... |
| 5 | English | meaning | The denotation, referent, or idea connected with... |
| 6 | English | -ing | Used to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,... |
| 7 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 8 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 9 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 10 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 11 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 12 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 13 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |