Michaelmas term

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*meyth₂-“to exchange”
2. Latin · derived frommittere
3. Late Latin · derived frommissa
4. Vulgar Latin · derived from*messa“Eucharist; dismissal”
5. Old English · derived frommæsse“mass (celebration of the Eucharist)”
6. Middle English · derived frommasse
7. Biblical Hebrew · derived fromמִיכָאֵל“who is like God?”
8. Koine Greek · derived fromΜιχαήλ
9. Late Latin · derived fromMichahel
10. English todayMichaelmas term

From Michaelmas + term; Michaelmas is from Michael (“the name of the biblical archangel”) + -mas (suffix indicating a holiday or sacred day), meaning the feast day of St Michael. Michael is derived from Late Latin Michahel, from Koine Greek Μιχαήλ (Mikhaḗl), from Biblical Hebrew מִיכָאֵל (mîḵāʾēl, “who is like God?”); while -mas is from mass, from Middle English masse, from Old English mæsse (“mass (celebration of the Eucharist)”), from Vulgar Latin *messa (“Eucharist; dismissal”), from Late Latin missa, a noun use of the feminine past participle of Latin mittere, the present active infinitive of mittō (“to dispatch, send; to discharge, release; to dismiss”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to exchange”). The Christian feast day of Michaelmas, 29 September, occurs a few days before the start of this term.

Words from the same roots