English
megrim
Megrim comes from Late Latin hēmicrānia ‘pain in one half of the head’, from Ancient Greek κρανίον ‘skull’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱerh₂-1root named by Wiktionary
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκᾰ́ρη2kắrē‘Homeric form of κᾰ́ρᾱ (kắrā, “the head’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρανίον1kraníon‘skull’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἡμικρᾱνίᾰ1hēmikrāníă
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEhēmicrānia1‘pain in one half of the head’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600migraigne1
- Englishtodaymegrim1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English megrim
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κρανίον
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱerh₂-Wiktionary, English megrimroot named by Wiktionary
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκᾰ́ρηWiktionary, Ancient Greek κρανίονkắrē‘Homeric form of κᾰ́ρᾱ (kắrā, “the head’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρανίονWiktionary, English megrimkraníon‘skull’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἡμικρᾱνίᾰWiktionary, English megrimhēmikrāníă
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEhēmicrāniaWiktionary, English megrim‘pain in one half of the head’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600migraigneWiktionary, English megrim
- EnglishtodaymegrimWiktionary, English megrim
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-
horn, cheer, hart, cerebral, crater, corny, grail, cornea, carotid, cairn, cornet, procrastinate, cerebellum, cranium, keratin, cerebrum, rother, 50 more
through Late Latin hēmicrānia ‘pain in one half of the head’
Today it means
noun A headache; a migraine.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “megrim”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek κρανίον. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- / megrim