Etymograph

English

mould

Mould comes from Middle English molde ‘mould, cast’, from Latin modulus ‘a small measure or interval’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *med-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*med-1‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*medos2‘measure’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmodus2‘measure’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmodulus3‘a small measure or interval’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500molde3‘mould, cast’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1847mould3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *medos
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin modulus
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English mould
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1847, editorial staff, Decorations in Leather: “The design it is to assume is formed in…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*med-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *medos‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*medosWiktionary, Latin modulus‘measure’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmodusWiktionary, Latin modulus‘measure’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmodulusWiktionary, English mould‘a small measure or interval’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500moldeWiktionary, English mould‘mould, cast’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1847mouldWiktionary, English mould. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1847, editorial staff, Decorations in Leather: “The design it is to assume is formed in…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *med- ‘to measure’

must, moderate, meditation, modest, blackmail, moderator, modernize, modality, medicate, mete, modulate, mote, commode, 22 more

through Proto-Italic *medos ‘measure’

medical, medicine, medication, med, remedy, medicinal, medic, meditate, 11 more

through Latin modus ‘measure’

modern, mode, mud, mood, commodity, modification, modal, modus, modicum, modifiable, 16 more

through Latin modulus ‘a small measure or interval’

model, module, modulation, molding, modulus, modulo, 1 more

through Middle English molde ‘mould, cast’

mold, 2 more

Another origin of mould

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*muglōnąreconstructed
  2. Old Norsec. 800–1350mygla
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mowlde
  4. Englishtodaymould

From Middle English mowlde, noun use and alteration of mowled, past participle of moulen, mawlen (‘to grow mouldy’), from Old Norse mygla (compare dialectal Danish mugle), from Proto-Germanic *muglōną, diminutive and denominative of *mukiz (‘soft substance’) (compare Old Norse myki, mykr (‘cow dung’)), from Proto-Indo-European *mewk- (‘slick, soft’).

Another origin of mould

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*melh₂-‘to grind, crush’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ml̥h₂-téh₂reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*muldōreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150molde‘earth, soil’
  5. Englishtodaymould

Today it means

noun Commonwealth standard spelling of mold.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mould”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *medos, Latin modulus. 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 *med- / mould

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