Etymograph

English

mastiff

Mastiff comes from Old French mastin ‘guard dog’, from Vulgar Latin *mansuetinus ‘tamed (animal)’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- ‘to beckon, signal’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)meh₂-‘to beckon, signal’next step skipped: Latin mānsuēscō
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmansuetus‘tamed’
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*mansuetinus‘tamed (animal)’reconstructed
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400mastin‘guard dog’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mastyfas mastif
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1579mastiff

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)meh₂-‘to beckon, signal’next step skipped: Latin mānsuēscō
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmansuetus‘tamed’
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*mansuetinus‘tamed (animal)’reconstructed
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400mastin‘guard dog’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mastyfas mastif
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1579mastiff

Earliest quotation: 1579, Plutarke of Chæronea [i.e., The Life of Demosthenes: “At which time, they wryte that Demoſthenes told the…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- ‘to beckon, signal’

main, commander, manner, manage, manual, mandate, manga, commodore, manifest, commando, commandant, commandment, amaze, commendation, mano, manus, commandeer, manacles, 29 more

Today it means

noun One of an old breed of powerful, deep-chested, and smooth-coated dogs, used chiefly as watchdogs and guard dogs.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- / mastiff

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