measure

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*med-
2. Proto-Indo-European*meh₁-
3. Proto-Italic*mētis
4. Latinmētior
5. Latinmēnsūra
6. Old Frenchmesure
7. Middle Englishmesure
8. English todaymeasure

From Middle English mesure, from Old French mesure, from Latin mēnsūra (“a measure”), mētior (“to measure”, supine stem in mēns-) + -tūra. Largely displaced native Old English metan ("to measure" whence modern mete) and ġemet (“a measure”). See also -ure.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 13th–19th c. Moderation, temperance.
• from 14th c. A limit that cannot be exceeded; a bound. (Now chiefly in set phrases.)
• from 16th c. An (unspecified) portion or quantity.
• from 14th c. A receptacle or vessel of a standard size, capacity etc. as used to deal out specific quantities of some substance.
• from 14th c. A standard against which something can be judged; a way of measuring it; a criterion for it.
• from 14th c. Any of various standard units of capacity.
• from 14th c. A unit of measurement.
• from 14th c. The size of someone or something, as ascertained by measuring. (Now chiefly in make to measure.)