English
minestrone
Minestrone comes from Italian minestrone ‘augmentative of minestra’, from minestra ‘soup’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-1‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*minéwti1‘to lessen’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minuō1‘to lessen, make smaller’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minōs1‘less’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minosteros1‘lesser, smaller’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEminister1‘attendant’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEministro2as ministrāre
- Italianc. 1300–presentminestra3‘soup’
- Italianc. 1300–presentminestrone3‘augmentative of minestra’
- Englishtodayminestrone3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin ministro
- 2 Wiktionary, Italian minestra
- 3 Wiktionary, English minestrone
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-Wiktionary, Latin ministro‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*minéwtiWiktionary, Latin ministro‘to lessen’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minuōWiktionary, Latin ministro‘to lessen, make smaller’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minōsWiktionary, Latin ministro‘less’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minosterosWiktionary, Latin ministro‘lesser, smaller’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEministerWiktionary, Latin ministro‘attendant’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEministroWiktionary, Italian minestraas ministrāre
- Italianc. 1300–presentminestraWiktionary, English minestrone‘soup’
- Italianc. 1300–presentminestroneWiktionary, English minestrone‘augmentative of minestra’
- EnglishtodayminestroneWiktionary, English minestrone
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’
mean, community, met, common, commission, communication, meal, mess, mutual, communicate, communist, commit, mere, missile, immune, min, immunity, compromise, communism, ammunition, municipality, communal, mole, dismiss, premise, minus, mural, ammo, communion, mayhem, noodle, moor, commune, intermittent, remuneration, mite, omit, monolith, meiosis, mitosis, 70 more
through Proto-Italic *minuō ‘to lessen, make smaller’
minute, menu, minuet, minutia, 8 more
through Proto-Italic *minōs ‘less’
through Latin minister ‘attendant’
through Latin ministro
Today it means
noun Any of many thick Italian vegetable soups.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “minestrone”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin ministro, Italian minestra. 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 *mey- / minestrone