Etymograph

English

minikin

Minikin comes from Middle Dutch minnekijn ‘darling, beloved’, from minne ‘love’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to think’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*minjō‘remembrance’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*minnjureconstructed
  4. Old Dutchc. 500–1150minna
  5. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500minne‘love’
  6. Middle Dutch, derivedc. 1150–1500minnekijn‘darling, beloved’
  7. Englishtodayminikin

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-‘to think’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*minjō‘remembrance’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*minnjureconstructed
  4. Old Dutchc. 500–1150minna
  5. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500minne‘love’
  6. Middle Dutch, derivedc. 1150–1500minnekijn‘darling, beloved’
  7. Englishtodayminikin

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think’

money, music, amount, comment, mental, mouth, mind, mention, museum, remain, permanent, mountain, monster, auto, mount, monitor, monetary, demonstration, mentor, monk, monument, maya, dementia, min, monte, monastery, amnesty, muse, mosaic, summon, menace, mas, mantra, mont, muster, monstrous, amnesia, mandarin, mint, remnant, 125 more

through Proto-Germanic *minjō ‘remembrance’

mignon, minion, 3 more

Another origin of minikin

  1. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350Münichen
  2. Germanc. 1650–presentMünchenas Münichen
  3. Englishtodayminikin

Miniken is derived from then-contemporary German Münichen.

Today it means

noun A young person, especially a young woman.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *men- / minikin

Shirt and support for this word