Etymology

minch

M3I1N1C3H4

Today it means: A nun. Full definition →

Middle English mynche ← Old English myneċen ← Proto-Germanic *munikinnō
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minch · noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*men-
  2. Ancient Greek · derived fromμοναχός“hermit”
  3. Late Latin · derived frommonachus“monk”
  4. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*munikinnō“female monk”
  5. Old English · inherited frommyneċen“a female monk, nun”
  6. Middle English · inherited frommynche
  7. English todayminch

From Middle English mynche, a reduced form of minchen, monchen, from Old English myneċen (“a female monk, nun”), from Proto-Germanic *munikinnō (“female monk”), from *munikaz (“monk”), from Late Latin monachus (“monk”), from Ancient Greek μοναχός (monakhós, “hermit”, noun), from μοναχός (monakhós, “single, solitary”, adjective), from μόνος (mónos, “alone”), from Proto-Indo-European *men-, *menw-, *manw- (“small, little, isolated”). Cognate with German Mönchin (“female monk”). Related also to minnow. More at monk.

minch · verb2

  1. Middle English · inherited frommenchen
  2. English todayminch

From Middle English menchen, a variant of mincen. More at mince.

Minch · proper noun3

Reduced form of Minnish or Minchin.

Words from the same roots

Old Englishmyneċen all →

minchen

Proto-Germanic*munikinnō all →

minchen

Late Latinmonachus all →

minchenmonachism

Ancient Greekμοναχός all →

monkminchenmonachopsis

Proto-Indo-European*men- all →

gamemanminremainmintparamountmingmantramnemonicminnowminionmignonpromontorymontanemonadMintomonePrometheanMontagnardmessuagemelomaniacminchenpromnesia

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.