Etymology — The origins of English words

milsim

Origin

From military simulation.

milch

Origin

From Middle English milche, melche, from Old English *melċe, *milċe (attested in þrimilċe, þrimilċemōnaþ), from Proto-Germanic *milkijaz, *melkijaz from Proto-Germanic *melkaz (“milky, milk-giving”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- (“to wipe, wipe off, milk”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian meelk (“milch”), Low German melke (“milch”), German melk (“milk-giving, milch”), Alemannic German mëlch (“milch, milkable”), Icelandic milkur, mjólkur (“milk-giving”). More at milk. Compare milchig.

moult

Origin

From Middle English mouten, from Old English *mutian (attested in bemutian, “to exchange for”), from Latin mūtō (“to (re)move, change, vary, mutate, exchange, abandon”). Doublet of mute and mutate. The unetymological ⟨l⟩ was introduced into the spelling by mistakenly assuming a French origin with -l- as in fault and vault; compare solder, which in contrast has an etymological ⟨l⟩ (from Latin solidāre, “to make solid“) but was historically pronounced without that grapheme's sound.

mateship

Origin

From mate + -ship. Cognate with Dutch maatschap (“partnership”).

michigander

Origin

] Attributed to Abraham Lincoln, in a speech of July 27, 1848, as pejorative reference to Lewis Cass, Michigan politician: : There is one entire article of the sort I have not discussed yet; I mean the military tale you Democrats are now engaged in dovetailing onto the great Michigander. Ostensibly coined as a blend of Michigan + gander (“male goose, simpleton”) (punning on “tale” and “(dove)tail(ing)”). Alternatively from and/or later reanalyzed as Michigan + -d- (epenthetic) + -er (“resident of”).

mimophant

Origin

Blend of mimosa + elephant, coined by Arthur Koestler in 1972.

muser

Origin

Likely a blend of Musical.ly (or music/musical) + user.

nibbleable

Origin

From nibble + -able.

misplease

Origin

From Middle English misplesen, equivalent to mis- + please. Compare Old French mesplaire.

middlesome

Origin

From middle + -some.

mcentire

Origin

Variant of McIntyre.

mussitate

Origin

From Latin mussitō (“to keep quiet; to murmur, mutter”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix), from mussō (“to be silent and respectful; to say in a soft voice, murmur”) (perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *mur- (“to murmur”), originally imitative) + -itō (frequentative suffix).

mumchance

Origin

From Middle English mommen (“mutter, be silent”) and Middle High German mummenschantze (“game of chance as part of a masquerade, mime performance, revel”), from Old French momen (“mask”) and chance (“game of chance”).

midground

Origin

From mid- + ground.

medician

Origin

Perhaps a blend of medic and physician.

moffett

Origin

Variant of Moffat.

millenniary

Origin

From millennium + -ary.

metalclad

Origin

From metal + clad.

moontime

Origin

From moon + time, as the lunar cycle is traditionally linked to menstruation.

microbiota

Origin

From micro- + biota.

misswear

Origin

From mis- + swear.

nevus

Origin

Borrowed from Latin naevus.

modeler

Origin

From model + -er.

monopathy

Origin

From mono- + -pathy.