English
Minoress
Minoress comes from Latin minor ‘little, lesser’, and goes back to Proto-Italic *minōs ‘less’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minōs‘less’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEminor‘little, lesser’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500minorissa
- Englishearliest quotation 1395Minoress
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minōs‘less’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEminor‘little, lesser’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500minorissa
- Englishearliest quotation 1395Minoress
Earliest quotation: 1395, Alice West, Testamentum Domine Alicie West (in Middle English): “Also I. bequethe to the Religiouse Wommen the Menouresses…”
Formed from minor + -ess
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘small, little’
mean, community, common, met, communication, commission, meal, communist, mutual, communicate, immune, commit, mess, compromise, ammunition, immunity, mere, min, communism, missile, municipality, communal, mole, communion, minus, mural, ammo, premise, dismiss, mayhem, commune, noodle, remuneration, moor, intermittent, mite, omit, monolith, meiosis, communiqué, 74 more
through Proto-Italic *minuō ‘to lessen, make smaller’
minute, menu, minuet, minutia, 10 more
through Proto-Italic *minōs ‘less’
administration, ministry, 5 more
through Latin minor ‘little, lesser’
Today it means
noun Synonym of Poor Clare: a nun of the Order of Saint Clare.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *minōs / Minoress