English
migniard
Migniard comes from French mignard ‘cute’, from Old French mignon ‘dainty, pleasing, gentle, kind’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to think’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*minjō‘affectionate thought, care’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*minnju‘love, friendship, affection, memory’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400mignon‘dainty, pleasing, gentle, kind’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘cute’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentmignard‘cute’
- Englishearliest quotation 1616migniard
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to think’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*minjō‘affectionate thought, care’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*minnju‘love, friendship, affection, memory’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400mignon‘dainty, pleasing, gentle, kind’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘cute’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentmignard‘cute’
- Englishearliest quotation 1616migniard
Earliest quotation: 1616, Ben Jonson: “Those soft migniard handlings”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think’
money, music, mind, amount, comment, mental, mouth, remain, mention, mountain, museum, permanent, monster, auto, mount, monitor, min, demonstration, mentor, monk, monetary, monument, maya, monte, mint, monastery, amnesty, muse, dementia, mosaic, summon, menace, mas, mantra, imminent, mont, muster, monstrous, prominence, eminent, 125 more
through Middle French mignon
through French mignon ‘cute’
Today it means
adj soft; dainty
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *men- / migniard