mite

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mey-“small”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*mītǭ“biting insect”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*mītā
4. Old English · inherited frommīte“mite, tiny insect”
5. Middle English · inherited frommite
6. English todaymite

From Middle English mite, from Old English mīte (“mite, tiny insect”), from Proto-West Germanic *mītā, from Proto-Germanic *mītǭ (“biting insect”, literally “cutter”), from *maitaną (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small”) or *meh₂y- (“to cut”). Akin to Old High German mīza (“mite”), Middle Dutch mīte (“moth, mite”), Dutch mijt (“moth, mite”), Danish mide (“mite”).

Words from the same roots