Etymology

Mahound

M3A1H4O1U1N1D2

Today it means: Muhammad, believed by medieval Europeans to be a demon or god that Muslims worshipped. Full definition →

Middle English Mahown ← Anglo-Norman Mahun ← Old French Mahum
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The story

  1. Old French · derived fromMahum
  2. Anglo-Norman · derived fromMahun
  3. Middle English · inherited fromMahown
  4. English todayMahound

From Middle English Mahown, from Anglo-Norman Mahun, Old French Mahum, Mahom, shortened from Mahomed (“Muhammad”) (see Muhammad for more). Compare mammet.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 13th c. Muhammad, believed by medieval Europeans to be a demon or god that Muslims worshipped.
  • from 14th c. The Devil.
  • 13th–16th c. A generic pagan god or idol believed by medieval Europeans to be worshipped by various villains such as Herod I.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.