Etymology

menial

M3E1N1I1A1L1

Today it means: Of or relating to work normally performed by a servant. Full definition →

Middle English meyneal ← Anglo-Norman mesnal ← Vulgar Latin *mānsiōnāta
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The story

  1. Latin · derived frommānsiō“house”
  2. Vulgar Latin · derived from*mānsiōnāta
  3. Anglo-Norman · derived frommesnal
  4. Middle English · inherited frommeyneal
  5. English todaymenial

From Middle English meyneal, from Anglo-Norman mesnal, from maisnee (“household”), from Vulgar Latin *mānsiōnāta, from Latin mānsiō (“house”).

Words from the same roots

Vulgar Latin*mānsiōnāta all →

meinie

Latinmānsiō all →

mansionmessuage

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.