English
mind
Mind comes from Old English mynd ‘mind, memory’, from Proto-Indo-European *méntis ‘thought’, and ultimately from *men- ‘to think’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to think’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*méntis‘thought’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mundiz‘memory’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mundireconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150mynd‘mind’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500minde
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1503–1512mind
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to think’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*méntis‘thought’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mundiz‘memory’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mundireconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150mynd‘mind’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500minde
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1503–1512mind
Earliest quotation: c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood: “I fortuned to come in, Thys rebell to behold,…”
The story
Related also to Danish minde (‘memory’), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish minne (‘memory’), Faroese and Icelandic minni (‘memory, recall, recollection’), Latin mēns (‘mind, reason’), Sanskrit मनस् (mánas), Ancient Greek μένος (ménos), Albanian mënd (‘mind, reason’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think’
money, music, amount, comment, mouth, mention, museum, permanent, remain, mountain, monster, auto, mount, monitor, monetary, demonstration, mentor, monk, monument, maya, monte, monastery, amnesty, muse, mosaic, summon, menace, mas, mantra, min, mont, mania, muster, monstrous, amnesia, manic, remnant, imminent, prominence, mint, 124 more
through Proto-Indo-European *méntis ‘thought’
Today it means
noun The capability for rational thought.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *men- / mind