English
minchen
Minchen comes from Old English myneċen ‘a female monk, nun’, from Ancient Greek μοναχός ‘hermit’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think, mind’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-1‘to think, mind’next step skipped: Ancient Greek μόνος
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμοναχός1monakhós‘hermit’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmonachus1‘monk’
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*munikinnō1‘female monk’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150myneċen1‘a female monk, nun’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500minchen1
- Englishtodayminchen1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English minchen
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*men-Wiktionary, English minchen‘to think, mind’next step skipped: Ancient Greek μόνος
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμοναχόςWiktionary, English minchenmonakhós‘hermit’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmonachusWiktionary, English minchen‘monk’
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*munikinnōWiktionary, English minchen‘female monk’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150myneċenWiktionary, English minchen‘a female monk, nun’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500minchenWiktionary, English minchen
- EnglishtodayminchenWiktionary, English minchen
The story
Related also to minnow.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think, mind’
money, music, amount, mind, mouth, museum, comment, mental, remain, mountain, mention, monster, auto, mount, permanent, monitor, monetary, demonstration, maya, min, monument, mentor, monte, monastery, amnesty, muse, mosaic, dementia, summon, mas, mantra, mont, mania, muster, monstrous, mint, amnesia, mandarin, menace, manic, 122 more
through Ancient Greek μοναχός ‘hermit’
through Late Latin monachus ‘monk’
Today it means
noun A nun.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “minchen”. 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 *men- / minchen