Etymograph

English

mold

Mold comes from Middle English molde ‘mold, cast’, from Latin modulus ‘a small measure or interval’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *med-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*med-‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*mod-ós‘measure’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*modosreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmodus‘measure’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmodulus‘a small measure or interval’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400modle
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500molde‘mold, cast’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1711mold

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*med-‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*mod-ós‘measure’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*modosreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmodus‘measure’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmodulus‘a small measure or interval’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400modle
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500molde‘mold, cast’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1711mold

Earliest quotation: 1711, Alexander Pope, Volume 1: “Crowned with an architrave of antique mould.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *med- ‘to measure’

must, medical, medicine, medication, moderate, meditation, med, remedy, modest, medicinal, blackmail, medic, meditate, moderator, modulate, mete, mote, commode, 24 more

through Proto-Italic *modos

modernize, modality, 11 more

through Latin modus ‘measure’

modern, mode, mud, mood, commodity, modification, modal, modus, modicum, modifiable, 17 more

through Latin modulus ‘a small measure or interval’

model, module, modulation, modulus, modulo, 1 more

through Old French modle

moulder, 1 more

through Middle English molde ‘mold, cast’

mould, 2 more

Another origin of mold

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*muglōnąreconstructed
  2. Old Norsec. 800–1350mygla
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500moulen‘to grow moldy’
  4. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500mowlde
  5. Englishtodaymold

From Middle English mowlde, noun use and alteration of mowled, past participle of mowlen, moulen (‘to grow moldy’), from Old Norse mygla (compare dialectal Danish mugle), from Proto-Germanic *muglōną, diminutive and denominative of *mukiz 'soft substance' (compare Old Norse myki, mykr (‘cow dung’)), from Proto-Indo-European *mewk- (‘slick, soft’).

Another origin of mold

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*melh₂-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ml̥h₂téh₂reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*muldō‘dirt, soil’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*moldureconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150molde‘earth, soil’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  7. Englishtodaymold

From Middle English molde, from Old English molde, from Proto-Germanic *muldō (‘dirt, soil’) (compare Old Frisian molde, Middle Dutch moude, Dutch moude, obsolete German Molte, Norwegian Bokmål mold, and Gothic 𐌼𐌿𐌻𐌳𐌰 (mulda)), from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥h₂-téh₂ (compare Ashkun mič, Kamkata-viri muři, mřey, mřëi, Prasuni mire, Waigali muk, all meaning "clay").

Today it means

noun A hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or plastic substance.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *med- / mold

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