English
minuet
Minuet comes from French menuet, from menu ‘small’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-‘small, little’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minuō‘to lessen, make smaller’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEminuō‘diminish’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEminutus‘very small’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400menu
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘small’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentmenuet
- Englishearliest quotation 1838minuet
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-‘small, little’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minuō‘to lessen, make smaller’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEminuō‘diminish’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEminutus‘very small’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400menu
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘small’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentmenuet
- Englishearliest quotation 1838minuet
Earliest quotation: 1838, William Samuel Waithman Ruschenberger, A Voyage Round the World: “After he had raved his time upon the stage,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘small, little’
mean, community, common, met, commission, communication, mess, meal, communist, mutual, communicate, immune, mere, commit, compromise, missile, ammunition, immunity, communism, min, municipality, communal, mole, dismiss, premise, communion, mural, ammo, mayhem, noodle, moor, commune, remuneration, minus, intermittent, monolith, mite, omit, meiosis, communiqué, 72 more
through Proto-Italic *minuō ‘to lessen, make smaller’
minister, ministry, minor, 8 more
through Latin minutus ‘very small’
minute, menudo, minutia, 1 more
through French menu ‘small’
Today it means
noun A slow graceful dance consisting of a coupé, a high step, and a balance.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mey- / minuet