Etymology dictionary

meistersinger (n.) — Mendelism (n.)

meistersinger (n.)

"member of one of the guilds or societies formed 14c.-16c. in principal cities of Germany for the cultivation of poetry and music," 1818, from German Meistersinger, literally "master singer;" see master (adj.) + singer. Typically composed of workmen, they succeeded the minnesingers, who usually were aristocratic. Earlier in the Englished form master-singer (by 1810).

Mekong

river in Southeast Asia, Thai, from me "mother" + khong "river, large stream."

*mel- (2)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "strong, great." It forms all or part of: ameliorate; amelioration; meliorate; melioration; meliorism; multi-; multiform; multiple; multiply; multitude. It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek mala "very, very much;" Latin multus "much, many," melior "better."

*mel- (1)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "soft," with derivatives referring to soft or softened materials.

It forms all or part of: amblyopia; bland; blandish; blenny; emollient; enamel; malacia; malaxation; malt; melt; mild; Mildred; milt; moil; mollify; Mollusca; mollusk; mulch; mullein; mutton; schmaltz; smelt (v.); smelt (n.).

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit mrdh "to neglect," also "to be moist;" Greek malakos "soft," malthon "weakling;" Latin mollire "soften," mollis "soft;" Old Irish meldach "tender."

*mel- (3)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "false, bad, wrong." The exact sense of the root remains uncertain, "since it concerns a collection of largely isolated words in different IE branches" [de Vaan].

It forms all or part of: blame; blaspheme; blasphemous; blasphemy; ‌‌dismal; mal-; malady; malaise; malaria; malediction; malefactor; malefic; malevolence; malevolent; malice; malicious; malign; malison; malversation; mauvais.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Avestan mairiia‑, "treacherous;" Greek meleos "idle; unhappy;" Latin male (adv.) "badly," malus (adj.) "bad, evil;" Old Irish mell "destruction;" Armenian mel "sin;" Lithuanian melas "lie," Latvian malds "mistake," possbily also Greek blasphemein "to slander."

melanism (n.)

"an undue development of coloring material in the skin," especially in mammals or birds; the opposite of albinism (and the word probably based on it), by 1827; see melano- + -ism. Related: Melanistic.

melancholic (adj.)

late 14c., "containing black bile," a physiological sense now obsolete, from melancholy + -ic, or else from from Late Latin melancholicus, from Greek melankholikos "choleric," from melankholia "sadness," literally "(excess of) black bile" (see melancholy). Of persons or temperaments, "affected with melancholia, habitually gloomy," by 1789. The earlier adjective formation in Middle English was melancholian (mid-14c.), and melancholiac (mid-19c.) also was tried.

melancholy (adj.)

late 14c., malencolie, "mixed with or caused by black bile;" also, of persons, "sullen, gloomy, sad, affected by low spirits," from melancholy (n.). Meaning "expressive of sadness" is from 1590s; sense of "deplorable, fitted to produce sadness or gloom" (of a fact or state of things) is by 1710.

melancholy (n.)

c. 1300, melancolie, malencolie, "mental disorder characterized by sullenness, gloom, irritability, and propensity to causeless and violent anger," from Old French melancolie "black bile; ill disposition, anger, annoyance" (13c.), from Late Latin melancholia, from Greek melankholia "sadness," literally (excess of) "black bile," from melas (genitive melanos) "black" (see melano-) + khole "bile" (see cholera).

Old medicine attributed mental depression to unnatural or excess "black bile," a secretion of the spleen and one of the body's four "humors," which help form and nourish the body unless altered or present in excessive amounts.

The word also was used in Middle English for "sorrow, gloom" (brought on by love, disappointment, etc.), by mid-14c. As belief in the old physiology of humors faded out in the 18c. the word remained with a sense of "a gloomy state of mind," particularly when habitual or prolonged.

The Latin word also is the source of Spanish melancolia, Italian melancolia, German Melancholie, Danish melankoli, etc. Old French variant malencolie (also in Middle English) is by false association with mal "sickness."

melancholia (n.)

"mental condition characterized by great depression, sluggishness, and aversion to mental action," 1690s, from Modern Latin melancholia (see melancholy).

melancholiac (n.)

"person afflicted with melancholy, one who is affected with mental gloom," 1819, from melancholia. Earlier in same sense were melancholian (1630s), melancholist (1590s), melancholic (1580s).

Melanesia

one of three large divisions of western Pacific islands, 1840, from French Mélanésie (by 1835); see melano- "black" + nēsos "island" (see Chersonese) + -ia. Modeled after Polynesia and meant to signify "the islands inhabited by blacks."

Related: Melanesian (1835, n., "a native of Melanesia;" 1840, adj., "of or belonging to Melanesia or the peoples inhabiting it").

melange (n.)

"a mixture, a medley," usually "an uncombined mingling on elements, objects, or individuals," 1650s, from French mélange (15c.), from mêler "to mix, mingle," from Old French mesler "to mix, meddle, mingle" (see meddle).

Melanie

fem. proper name, literally "darkness, blackness," from Latin Melania, from Greek melania "blackness," from melas "black, dark" (see melano-). little used in U.S. before 1940, most popular in 1970s. Melanius was a Roman masc. proper name.

melanin (n.)

dark brown or black pigment found in animal bodies, 1832, Modern Latin, with chemical suffix -in (2); the first element is from Greek melas (genitive melanos) "black" (see melano-). Related: Melanism; melanistic.

melano-

word-forming element meaning "black," from Greek melano-, combining form of melas (genitive melanos) "black, dark, murky,"probably from a PIE root *melh-"black, of darkish color" (source also of Sanskrit malinah "dirty, stained, black," Lithuanian mėlynas "blue," Latin mulleus "reddish").

melanoma (n.)

"tumor containing melanin," 1826, medical Latin, from Greek melas (genitive melanos) "black" (see melano-) + -oma. Greek melanōma meant "blackness."

melanosis (n.)

"abnormal deposition of pigmentary matter in organs or parts of the body," by 1815, medical Latin, from Greek melanosis "a becoming black," from melanoun "to become black," from melas (genitive melanos); see melano-. Related: Melanotic.

melatonin (n.)

chemical formed in the pineal gland of mammals that regulates certain physiological activities, 1958, from Greek melas "black, dark" (see melano-) + ending from serotonin. So called because its secretion is inhibited by sunlight, or because it changes the skin color of certain reptiles and amphibians.

Melba

in various food preparations, especially peach Melba (by 1905) and Melba toast (by 1913) is in honor of Nellie Melba, stage name (based on her hometown of Melbourne, Australia) of Australian-born operatic soprano Helen Mitchell (1861-1931).

Melbourne

city in Australia, named 1837 for William Lamb (1779-1848), 2nd Viscount Melbourne, then British Prime Minister; the title is from Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire. The place name is literally "mill stream," Old English Mileburne (1086).

Melchior

masc. proper name, literally "king of light," from Hebrew melekh "king" + or "light."

Melchizedek

name of a priest-king in the Old Testament, from Hebrew Malki-tzedeq, literally "king of righteousness," from melekh "king;" second element related to tzadaq "he was righteous," tzaddiq "just, righteous."

meld (v.)

"to blend together, merge, unite" (intransitive), by 1910, of uncertain origin. OED suggests "perh. a blend of MELT v.1 and WELD v." Said elsewhere to be a verb use of melled "mingled, blended," past participle of dialectal mell "to mingle, mix, combine, blend."

But it is perhaps an image from card-playing, where the verb meld is attested by 1907 in a sense of "combine two cards for a score:"

The rise of the general sense of the word in English coincides with the craze for canasta, in which melding figures. The card-playing sense is said to be "apparently" from German melden "make known, announce," from Old High German meldon, from Proto-Germanic *meldojanan (source of Old English meldian "to declare, tell, display, proclaim"), and the notion is of "declaring" the combination of cards. Related: Melded; melding.

melee (n.)

"confused conflict among many persons," 1640s, from French mêlée, from Old French meslee "brawl, confused fight; mixture, blend" (12c.), noun use of fem. past participle of mesler "to mix, mingle" (see meddle). See also medley. Borrowed in Middle English as melle but it was lost and then reborrowed 17c.

*mele-

*melə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to crush, grind," with derivatives referring to ground or crumbling substances and crushing or grinding instruments.

It forms all or part of: amyl; amyloid; blintz; emmer; emolument; immolate; maelstrom; mall; malleable; malleolus; mallet; malleus; maul; meal (n.2) "edible ground grain;" mill (n.1) "building fitted to grind grain;" millet; mola; molar (n.); mold (n.3) "loose earth;" molder; ormolu; pall-mall.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Hittite mallanzi "they grind;" Armenian malem "I crush, bruise;" Greek mylos "millstone," myle "mill;" Latin molere "to grind," mola "millstone, mill," milium "millet;" Old English melu "meal, flour;" Albanian miel "meal, flour;" Old Church Slavonic meljo, Lithuanian malu, malti "to grind;" Old Church Slavonic mlatu, Russian molotu "hammer."

*melg-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to rub off," also "to stroke; to milk," in reference to the hand motion involved in milking an animal. Compare *g(a)lag-.

It forms all or part of: emulgent; emulsify; emulsion; milch; milk.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit marjati "wipes off;" Greek amelgein, Latin mulgere, Old Church Slavonic mlesti, Lithuanian melžti "to milk;" Old Irish melg "milk."

melioration (n.)

c. 1400, melioracioun, "improvement, act or process of making or becoming better," from Late Latin meliorationem (nominative melioratio) "a bettering, improvement," noun of action from past-participle stem of meliorare "to improve" (see meliorate). Meliorations in Scottish law were "improvements made by a tenant upon rented land."

meliorate (v.)

1550s, "to make better, improve" (transitive), a back-formation from melioration or else from Late Latin melioratus, past participle of meliorare "improve," from Latin melior "better," used as comparative of bonus "good," but probably originally meaning "stronger," from PIE root *mel- (2) "strong, great." Intransitive sense of "to grow better, be improved" is from 1650s. Related: Meliorated; meliorating; meliorative.

meliorism (n.)

as a metaphysical concept, "belief that the world tends to become better or is capable of improvement;" in practical terms, "the improvement of society by regulated practical means;" by 1868, attributed to "George Eliot" (Mary Anne Evans), from Latin melior "better" (see meliorate) + -ism. Related: Meliorist (1835); melioristic.

melisma (n.)

1837, "a melodic decoration consisting of the prolongation of one syllable over a number of notes," from Greek melisma "a song, an air, a tune, melody," from melos "music, song, melody; musical phrase or member," literally "limb," a word of uncertain origin. Related: Melismatic.

Melissa

fem. proper name, from Latin, from Greek (Ionic) melissa (Attic melitta) "honeybee," also "one of the priestesses of Delphi," from meli, melitos "honey," from PIE *melit-ya, suffixed form of root *melit- "honey."

*melit-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "honey."

It forms all or part of: caramel; marmalade; Melissa; mellifluous; mildew; molasses; mousse.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek meli, Latin mel "honey; sweetness;" Albanian mjal' "honey;" Old Irish mil "honey," Irish milis "sweet;" Old English mildeaw "nectar," milisc "honeyed, sweet;" Old High German milsken "to sweeten;" Gothic miliþ "honey."

mell (v.)

"to mix, blend, meddle," now obsolete or provincial, c. 1300, mellen, from Old French meller, variant of mesler (see meddle). Related: Melled; melling.

mellifluous (adj.)

early 15c., "sweet as honey, pleasing, sweetly or smoothly flowing" (of an odor, a style of speaking or writing, etc.), from Late Latin mellifluus "flowing with (or as if with) honey," from Latin mel (genitive mellis) "honey" (related to Greek meli "honey;" from PIE root *melit- "honey") + -fluus "flowing," from fluere "to flow" (see fluent). Related: Melifluously; melifluousness.

mellifluent (adj.)

"flowing like honey, smoothly or sweetly flowing," c. 1600, from French mellifluent and directly from Late Latin mellifluentem (nominative mellifluens), related to mellifluus (see mellifluous). Related: Mellifluence.

Mellotron (n.)

type of electronic musical instrument, 1963, from mello(w) + (elec)tron(ic).

mellow (adj.)

mid-15c., melwe, of fruit, "soft, sweet, juicy" (especially from ripeness), perhaps a variant of merow "soft, tender," from Old English mearu "soft, tender." General sense of "of ripe age or quality, perfected by maturing," from 1590s. Of color by 1560s; of sound, "soft, rich, or delicate to the perception," by 1660s. Meaning "slightly drunk, rendered good-humored or genial by intoxication" is from 1680s. Modern slang sense of "feeling good after smoking marijuana" is by 1946. Mellow yellow "banana peel smoked in an effort to get high" is from 1967. Related: Mellowly; mellowness.

mellow (v.)

1570s, "to ripen, bring to maturity" (transitive), from mellow (adj.). Intransitive sense of "become soft, be ripened" is from 1590s. Transferred sense of "give richness, flavor, or delicacy to" is from 1590s. Related: Mellowed; mellowing.

melodic (adj.)

1818, "melodious;" by 1823, "pertaining to the melody" (as distinguished from the harmony), from French mélodique, from Late Latin melodicus, from Greek melodikos, from melodia (see melody). Related: Melodical "melodious" (1590s).

melodize

"to make melodic or melodious," 1660s, from melody + -ize. Related: Melodized; melodizing.

melodeon (n.)

1847, originally of a type of reed organ, variant of melodion, from German Melopdoin, from Melodie, from Old French melodie (see melody). As "a music hall" by 1840.

melody (n.)

c. 1300, melodie, "vocal or instrumental music, a succession of agreeable musical sounds," from Old French melodie "music, song, tune" (12c.) and directly from Late Latin melodia "a pleasant song" (in Medieval Latin also "music" generally), from Greek melōidia "a singing, a chanting; a choral song, a tune for lyric poetry," from melos "song, part of song; limb, member" (a word of uncertain origin) + ōidē "song, ode" (see ode). From late 14c. as "a song of clear and balanced form." Sense of "a series of tones so related to one another as to produce a distinct musical phrase or idea, a tune" is by c. 1600. Meaning "the principal voice-part in a harmonic composition" is by 1880.

melodious (adj.)

"containing or characterized by melody, agreeable to the ear," late 14c., from Old French melodios "melodious; delightful" (French mélodieux), from Medieval Latin melodiosus, from Latin melodia (see melody). Related: Melodiously; melodiousness.

melodise (v.)

chiefly British English spelling of melodize; for suffix, see -ize. Related: Melodised; melodising.

melodist (n.)

1789, "a singer;" see melody + -ist. Perhaps from or based on French mélodiste. By 1826 as "a composer of songs and melodies."

melodrama (n.)

1784 (1782 as melo drame), "a dramatic composition in which music is used," from French mélodrame (1772), from Greek melos "song" (see melody) + French drame "drama" (see drama).

The shift toward "a romantic and sensational dramatic piece with a happy ending" is evident by 1883. Also from French are Spanish melodrama, Italian melodramma, German melodram. Related: Melodramatize.

melodramatic (adj.)

"pertaining to, suitable for, or characteristic of a melodrama," 1789, from melodrama on model of dramatic. Related: Melodramatics; melodramatically.

melon (n.)

late 14c., meloun, "herbaceous, succulent trailing annual plant," or its sweet, edible fruit, from Old French melon (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin melonem (nominative melo), from Latin melopeponem, a kind of pumpkin, from Greek mēlopepon "gourd-apple" (name for several kinds of gourds bearing sweet fruit), from mēlon "apple" (see malic) + pepon, a kind of gourd, which is probably a noun use of pepon "ripe" (see pumpkin).

Among the earliest plants to be domesticated. In Greek, melon was used in a generic way for all foreign fruits (compare similar use of apple). The Greek plural of "melon" was used from ancient times for "a girl's breasts."

Melpomene

Muse of tragedy, originally of song and musical harmony, from Latin, from Greek Melpomene, literally "songstress," from melpein "to sing, to celebrate with song and dance," a word of unknown origin.

melrose (n.)

"honey of roses," 1790, from modern Latin mel rosae, from mel "honey" (from PIE root *melit-) + rosae, genitive of rosa "rose" (see rose (n.)).

melt (v.)

Middle English melten, from Old English meltan (intransitive) "become liquid through heat" (class III strong verb; past tense mealt, past participle molten), from Proto-Germanic *meltanan; fused with Old English gemæltan (Anglian), gemyltan (West Saxon) "make liquid, reduce from a solid to a fluid state by means of heat" (transitive), from Proto-Germanic *gamaltijan (source also of Old Norse melta "to digest").

Both Germanic words are from PIE *meldh- (source also of Sanskrit mrduh "soft, mild," Greek meldein "to melt, make liquid," Latin mollis "soft, mild"), from root *mel- (1) "soft." Also in Middle English "dissolve" (of salt, sugar, etc.), "corrode" (of iron), "putrefy" (of flesh). Meaning "pass imperceptibly from one thing into another" is by 1781. Related: Melted; melting.

Figurative use "to diminish, wane; be touched, grow tender" is by c. 1200; transitive sense of "soften" (to love, pity, tenderness) is by early 14c. Of food, to melt in (one's) mouth is from 1690s. Melting point "degree of temperature at which a solid body melts" is by 1807. Melting pot is from early 15c.; figurative use from 1855; popularized with reference to immigrant assimilation in the United States by the play "The Melting Pot" by Israel Zangwill (1908):

melt (n.)

1854, "molten metal, a substance in a melted condition," from melt (v.). In reference to a type of sandwich (typically tuna) topped by melted cheese, by 1956, American English.

meltdown (n.)

by 1922 as "an act or the process of melting metal;" by 1956 in reference to the accidental melting of the core of a nuclear reactor, from the verbal phrase (1630s), from melt (v.) + down (adv.). Metaphoric extension "breakdown in self-control" is attested since 1979.

melter (n.)

1530s, "one who melts," especially "the official who superintends the melting of gold and silver for coin in a mint," agent noun from melt (v.). By 1883 as "a furnace, pot, or crucible used for melting."

Melungeon

one of a class of people living in eastern Tennessee of peculiar appearance and uncertain origin, probably descendants of an early mix of white and African residents with some Native blood; by 1813 (Melungin); the word itself is of uncertain origin, though it often is referred to melange.

Melvin

masc. proper name, from Old English Mælwine, literally "friend of the council," from mæl "council," from Proto-Germanic *mathla- (from PIE *mod- "to meet, assemble;" see meet (v.)) + wine "friend" (related to winnan "to strive, struggle, fight;" see win (v.)).

member (n.)

c. 1300, "body part or organ, an integral part of an animal body having a distinct function" (in plural, "the body"), from Old French membre "part, portion; topic, subject; limb, member of the body; member" (of a group, etc.)," 11c., from Latin membrum "limb, member of the body, part," probably from PIE *mems-ro, from root *mems- "flesh, meat" (source also of Sanskrit mamsam "flesh;" Greek meninx "membrane," mēros "thigh" (the "fleshy part"); Gothic mimz "flesh").

In common use, "one of the limbs or extremities." Especially "the sex organ" (c. 1300, compare Latin membrum virile, but in English originally of women as well as men). Figurative sense of "anything likened to a part of the body" is by 14c., hence "a component part of any aggregate or whole, constituent part of a complex structure, one of a number of associated parts or entities."

The transferred sense of "person belonging to a group" is attested from mid-14c., from notion of "person considered in relation to an aggregate of individuals to which he or she belongs," especially one who has united with or been formally chosen as a corporate part of an association or public body. This meaning was reinforced by, if not directly from, the use of member in Christian theology and discourse from mid-14c. for "a Christian" (a "member" of the Church as the "Body of Christ"). Meaning "one who has been elected to parliament" is from early 15c.

membership (n.)

1640s, "state of being a member," from member + -ship. Meaning "number of members, members of a body regarded collectively" is by 1850.

membral (adj.)

"of or pertaining to the limbs of an animal," as distinguished from its body proper, c. 1600; see member + -al (1).

membranous (adj.)

"having a membrane; of or like a membrane," 1590s, from French membraneux (16c.), from membrane, from Latin membrana "a skin, parchment" (see membrane). The alternative form membraneous is recorded from 1630s.

membrane (n.)

early 15c., "thin layer of skin or soft tissue of the body," a term in anatomy, from Latin membrana "a skin, membrane; parchment (skin prepared for writing)," from membrum "limb, member of the body" (see member). The etymological sense is "that which covers the members of the body."

meme (n.)

"an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture," 1976, introduced by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in "The Selfish Gene," coined by him from Greek sources, such as mimeisthai "to imitate" (see mime (n.)), and intended to echo gene.

Digital Age sense of "an image or snippet of video or text considered witty or incisive that is spread widely and rapidly by internet users" is by 1997.

memento (n.)

late 14c., "Psalm cxxxi in the Canon of the Mass" (which begins with the Latin word Memento and in which the dead are commemorated), from Latin memento "remember," second person singular imperative of meminisse "to remember, recollect, think of, bear in mind," a reduplicated form, related to mens "mind," from PIE root *men- (1) "to think." Meaning "a hint or suggestion to awaken memory, a reminder, an object serving as a warning" is from 1580s; sense of "keepsake" is recorded by 1768.

memento mori (n.)

"a reminder of death," 1590s, a decorative object, usually an ornament for the person, containing emblems of death or reminders of the fleetingness of life, common in 16c., a Latin phrase, literally "remember to die," that is, "remember that you must die." From second person singular imperative of meminisse "to remember, recollect, think of, bear in mind" (a reduplicated form, related to mens "mind," from PIE root *men- (1) "to think") + mori "to die" (from PIE root *mer- "to rub away, harm" (also "to die" and forming words referring to death and to beings subject to death).

memo (n.)

"a written note of something to be remembered; a record of something for future reference or consideration," by 1889, shortening of memorandum (q.v.).

memoir (n.)

early 15c., "written record," from Anglo-French memorie "note, memorandum, something written to be kept in mind" (early 15c., Old French memoire), from Latin memoria (from PIE root *(s)mer- (1) "to remember"). The more specific sense of "a notice or essay relating to something within the writer's own memory or knowledge" is from 17c. Meaning "person's written account of his or her life" is from 1670s. Related: Memoirist.

memoirs (n.)

"personal record of events, narrative of the facts or events of the life of a person or a phase of history written from personal knowledge or observation upon points about which the writer is specially informed," 1650s, plural of memoir.

memorize (v.)

1590s, "commit to writing, cause to be remembered by writing or inscription;" see memory + -ize. The meaning "commit to memory, learn by heart, keep in memory, have always in mind" is by 1838. Related: Memorized; memorist; memorizing.

memorable (adj.)

mid-15c., "worthy to be remembered, not to be forgotten," from Latin memorabilis "that may be told; worthy of being remembered, remarkable," from memorare "to bring to mind," from memor "mindful of" (from PIE root *(s)mer- (1) "to remember"). Related: Memorably; memorableness.

memorability (n.)

"memorableness, quality of being memorable," 1660s, from memorable + -ity.

memorization (n.)

1823 "act or fact of memorializing;" 1857 as "action of committing to memory;" noun of action from memorize (v.).

memorabilia (n.)

"things worth remembering," 1792, from Latin memorabilia "notable achievements," noun use of neuter plural of memorabilis "worthy of being remembered" (see memorable). The use of the word in English probably was suggested by Xenophon's Memorabilia of Socrates. Originally of writings; by 1922 it was being used in reference to objects and relics that serve to recall something to the memory, things associated with some person, place, or event.

memorandum (n.)

mid-15c., "(something) to be remembered," a note of something to be remembered for future reference or consideration, from Latin memorandum "(thing) to be remembered," neuter singular of memorandus "worthy of remembrance, noteworthy," gerundive of memorare "to call to mind," from memor "mindful of" (from PIE root *(s)mer- (1) "to remember").

"Used originally as mere Latin, and usually abbreviated mem., to introduce a note of a thing to be done" [Century Dictionary]; by 1540s it came to mean the note itself. The Latin plural is memoranda. Compare also agenda.

memorial (adj.)

late 14c., "memorable, excellent," also "remembered, committed to memory," from Old French memorial "mindful of, remembering" (Modern French mémorial), and directly from Latin memorialis "of or belonging to memory," from memoria "memory" (from PIE root *(s)mer- (1) "to remember"). From mid-15c. as "preservative of memory, serving for commemoration."

A Middle English word for "having to do with memory" was memorative (late 14c.), from Old French memoratif, from Latin memorativus. Though useful, it apparently has not survived.

memory (n.)

late 13c., "recollection (of someone or something); remembrance, awareness or consciousness (of someone or something)," also "fame, renown, reputation;" from Anglo-French memorie (Old French memoire, 11c., "mind, memory, remembrance; memorial, record") and directly from Latin memoria "memory, remembrance, faculty of remembering," abstract noun from memor "mindful, remembering," from PIE root *(s)mer- (1) "to remember."

Sense of "commemoration" (of someone or something) is from c. 1300. Meaning "faculty of remembering; the mental capacity of retaining unconscious traces of conscious impressions or states, and of recalling these to consciousness in relation to the past," is late 14c. in English. Meaning "length of time included in the consciousness or observation of an individual" is from 1520s.

Meaning "that which is remembered; anything fixed in or recalled to the mind" is by 1817, though the correctness of this use was disputed in 19c. The word was extended, with more or less of figurativeness, in 19c. to analogous physical processes. Computer sense, "device which stores information," is from 1946. Related: Memories.

memorialize (v.)

"to present a memorial to, petition by memorial," 1708; "to commemorate, preserve the memory of," 1765; from memorial + -ize. Related: Memorialized; memorializing.

memorial (n.)

late 14c., "fame, renown, reputation," also "a commemorative gesture, monument, or rite;" in general, "something by which the memory of a person, thing, or event is preserved," from Old French memorial "record, report," and directly from Late Latin memoriale "a memorial," noun use of neuter of Latin memorialis (adj.) "of or belonging to memory," from memoria "memory" (from PIE root *(s)mer- (1) "to remember").

Meaning "memorial act, commemorative gesture, monument, etc.," is from late 14c., as is the sense of "a written representation of facts made to a legislative or other body as the grounds for a petition." Related: Memorialist.

memorious (adj.)

1590s, "having a good memory," from French memorieux or directly from Medieval Latin memoriosus, from Latin memoria (from PIE root *(s)mer- (1) "to remember"). By 1856 (Sir Richard F. Burton, with whom it seems to have been a pet word) as "worthy to be remembered."

Memorial Day

"day on which a memorial is made," by 1819, of any anniversary date, especially a religious anniversary; see memorial (adj.). As a specific end-of-May holiday commemorating U.S. war dead, it began informally in the late 1860s and originally commemorated the Northern soldiers killed in the Civil War. It was officially so called by 1869 among veterans' organizations, but Decoration Day also was used. The Grand Army of the Republic, the main veterans' organization in the North, officially designated it Memorial Day by resolution in 1882:

The South, however, had its own Confederate Memorial Day, and there was some grumbling about the apparent appropriation of the name.

memorise (v.)

chiefly British English spelling of memorize; for suffix, see -ize. Related: Memorised; memorising; memorisation.

Memphis

ancient city of Egypt, from Memphis, the Greek form of Egyptian Mennefer, literally "his beauty," from men "his" + nefer "beauty" (as in Queen Nefertiti, literally "Beauty has Come"). A reference to pharaoh Pepi I (24c. B.C.E.). The city in Tennessee, U.S., was so named 1826 for obscure reasons. Related: Memphian (1590s); Memphitic (mid-15c.). An inhabitant was a Memphite (from Greek Memphitēs).

mem-sahib (n.)

In colonial India and south Asia, "a European lady," by 1857, a hybrid from the local pronunciation of English ma'am + Hindi and Urdu sahib "master" (see sahib).

*men- (4)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "small, isolated."

It forms all or part of: malmsey; manometer; monad; monarchy; monastery; monism; monist; monk; mono; mono-; monoceros; monochrome; monocle; monocular; monogamy; monogram; monolith; monologue; monomania; Monophysite; monopoly; monosyllable; monotony.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek monos "single, alone," manos "rare, sparse;" Armenian manr "thin, slender, small."

men (n.)

plural of man (n.). In common with German Männer, etc., it shows effects of i-mutation. Used as an indefinite pronoun ("one, people, they") from late Old English. Men's liberation first attested 1970. Men's room "a lavatory for men" is by 1908, American English. Earlier it had a more general sense:

Menswear (also men's wear) "clothes for men" is by 1906. To separate the men from the boys in a figurative sense "distinguish the manly, mature, capable, etc. in a group from the rest" is from 1943; earliest uses tend to credit it to U.S. aviators in World War II.

*men- (2)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to project."

It forms all or part of: amenable; amount; cismontane; demeanor; dismount; eminence; eminent; imminence; imminent; menace; minacious; minatory; mons; montage; montagnard; monte; mount (n.1) "hill, mountain;" mount (v.) "to get up on;" mountain; mountebank; mouth; Osmond; Piedmont; promenade; prominence; prominent; promontory; remount; surmount; ultramontane.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit manya "nape of the neck;" Latin mons "mountain," eminere "to stand out;" Old Irish muin "neck," Welsh mwnwgl "neck," mwng "mane;" Welsh mynydd "mountain."

*men- (1)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to think," with derivatives referring to qualities and states of mind or thought.

It forms all or part of: admonish; Ahura Mazda; ament; amentia; amnesia; amnesty; anamnesis; anamnestic; automatic; automaton; balletomane; comment; compos mentis; dement; demonstrate; Eumenides; idiomatic; maenad; -mancy; mandarin; mania; maniac; manic; mantic; mantis; mantra; memento; mens rea; mental; mention; mentor; mind; Minerva; minnesinger; mnemonic; Mnemosyne; money; monition; monitor; monster; monument; mosaic; Muse; museum; music; muster; premonition; reminiscence; reminiscent; summon.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit manas- "mind, spirit," matih "thought," munih "sage, seer;" Avestan manah- "mind, spirit;" Greek memona "I yearn," mania "madness," mantis "one who divines, prophet, seer;" Latin mens "mind, understanding, reason," memini "I remember," mentio "remembrance;" Lithuanian mintis "thought, idea," Old Church Slavonic mineti "to believe, think," Russian pamjat "memory;" Gothic gamunds, Old English gemynd "memory, remembrance; conscious mind, intellect."

*men- (3)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to remain." It forms all or part of: maisonette; manor; manse; mansion; menage; menial; immanent; permanent; remain; remainder.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Persian mandan "to remain;" Greek menein "to remain;" Latin manere "to stay, abide."

menace (n.)

c. 1300, "declaration of hostile intent," also (early 14c.) "a threat or act of threatening," from Old French menace "menace, threat" (9c.), from Vulgar Latin minacia "threat, menace" (also source of Spanish amenaza, Italian minaccia), singular of Latin minaciæ "threatening things," from minax (genitive minacis) "threatening," from minari "threaten; jut, project," from minæ "threats; projecting points," from PIE root *men- (2) "to project." Applied to persons from 1936.

menacing (adj.)

"threatening, indicating danger or risk," early 15c., present-participle adjective from menace (v.). Related: Menacingly.

menace (v.)

c. 1300, manacen, "to threaten, express a hostile intention toward," from Old French menacier "to threaten; urge" (11c.), Anglo-French manasser, from Vulgar Latin *minaciare "to threaten," from minacia "menace, threat" (see menace (n.)). Intransitive sense of "to be threatening, pose a threat of danger or harm" (of abstractions or objects) is from mid-14c. Related: Menaced; menacing.

menage (n.)

1690s, "management of a household, domestic establishment," from French ménage, from Old French manage "household, family dwelling" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *mansionaticum "household, that which pertains to a house," from Latin mansionem "dwelling" (see mansion).

Now generally used in suggestive borrowed French phrase ménage à trois (by 1853 in English publications; by 1841 in French as the title of an opéra comique) "a domestic arrangement or relationship consisting of a husband, a wife, and the lover of one or the other," literally "household of three." The word had been in Middle English as mayngnage, maynage (c. 1300) in the senses "a household, a domestic establishment, company of persons living together in a house," but this was obsolete by c. 1500.

menage a trois (n.)

by 1853; see menage.

menagerie (n.)

"collection of wild animals kept in captivity," 1712, from French ménagerie "housing for domestic animals, yard or enclosure in which wild animals are kept" (16c.), from Old French manage "household" (see menage).

menarche (n.)

"first appearance of menstruation," 1896, from German menarche (1895), from Greek men (genitive menos) "month" (see moon (n.)) + arkhē "beginning" (verbal noun of arkhein "to be the first;" see archon).

mend (n.)

early 14c., "recompense, reparation," a shortened form of amends. Sense of "a remedy, cure" (now obsolete) is from mid-14c., from mend (v.). Meaning "act of mending; a repaired hole or rip in fabric" is from 1888. Phrase on the mend "on the path to recovering from sickness, improving in condition" is attested by 1802.

mend (v.)

c. 1200, "to repair" (clothes, a tool, a building), "remove defects" (from something broken, defaced, deranged, or worn), from a shortened form of Old French amender "correct, set right, make better, improve" (see amend). Meaning "to put right, atone for (faults and errors), amend (one's life), repent" is from c. 1300. Intransitive sense of "to grow better, improve" is from late 14c. Related: Mended; mending.

mendable (adj.)

"capable of being mended," 1530s, from mend (v.) + -able.

mendacity (n.)

"tendency or disposition to lie, habitual lying," also "a falsehood, a lie," 1640s, from French mendacité and directly from Late Latin mendacitas "falsehood, mendacity," from Latin mendax "lying; a liar" (see mendacious).

mendacious (adj.)

"given to lying, speaking falsely; having the characteristics of a lie, false, untrue," 1610s, from French mendacieux and directly from Latin mendacium "a lie, untruth, falsehood, fiction," from mendax (genitive mendacis) "lying, deceitful," from menda "fault, defect, carelessness in writing," from PIE root *mend- "physical defect, fault" (see amend (v.)). The sense evolution of Latin mendax was influenced by mentiri "to speak falsely, lie, deceive." Related: Mendaciously; mendaciousness.

Mendelism (n.)

theory of inheritance of characteristic by means of (what now are called) genes, 1903, in reference to the work of Gregor Johann Mendel (1822-1884), Austrian biologist who enunciated the laws of heredity. Related: Mendelian.