English
menses
Menses comes from Latin mēnsis ‘month’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mḗh₁n̥s‘moon, month’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mēns‘month’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*mēnsisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmēnsis‘month’
- Englishtodaymenses
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mḗh₁n̥s‘moon, month’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mēns‘month’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*mēnsisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmēnsis‘month’
- Englishtodaymenses
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- ‘to measure’
moral, measure, meal, meter, moody, metric, dimensional, metre, dimension, meta, immense, mesa, asymmetry, madder, commensurate, metrology, mete, firman, metis, metra, mensa, moodiness, 64 more
through Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s ‘moon, month’
through Latin mēnsis ‘month’
Today it means
noun The discharge of blood and cellular tissue that flows from the inner lining of the uterus out through the vagina, occurring typically once a month in uninseminated women; a menstrual flow.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s / menses