Etymograph

English

Mestee

Mestee comes from Middle French mestis ‘a person of mixed race’, and goes back to Proto-Italic *mikstos.

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mikstosreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmixtus‘mixed’
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmixticius
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400mestif
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600mestis‘a person of mixed race’
  6. EnglishtodayMestee

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mikstosreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmixtus‘mixed’
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmixticius
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400mestif
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600mestis‘a person of mixed race’
  6. EnglishtodayMestee

The story

Sometimes from Colonial Louisiana French mestif "child of an Octoroon and a white person" (15/16 white, 1/16 black), from Old French mestif (‘mongrel’)

Linked words

through Latin mixtus ‘mixed’

mixture, 7 more

through Late Latin mixticius

metis, mestizo, 2 more

Today it means

noun A mixed race person, especially if mostly white in ancestry, appearance and culture.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Italic *mikstos / Mestee

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