Etymograph

English

mural

Mural comes from Latin muralis ‘wall’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to fix, to build fortifications or fences’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-1‘to fix, to build fortifications or fences’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*moyros1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moiros1‘wall’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmurus2‘wall’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmuralis2‘wall’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400mural3
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentmural2
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1667mural2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin murus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English mural
  3. 3 Wiktionary, French mural
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Milton, Book VI: “Disburd’nd Heav’n rejoic’d, and soon repaird / Her mural…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-Wiktionary, Latin murus‘to fix, to build fortifications or fences’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*moyrosWiktionary, Latin murusreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moirosWiktionary, Latin murus‘wall’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmurusWiktionary, English mural‘wall’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmuralisWiktionary, English mural‘wall’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400muralWiktionary, French mural
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentmuralWiktionary, English mural
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1667muralWiktionary, English mural. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Milton, Book VI: “Disburd’nd Heav’n rejoic’d, and soon repaird / Her mural…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to fix, to build fortifications or fences’

mean, common, community, met, minister, minute, commission, ministry, minor, mess, communication, min, commit, menu, compromise, missile, meal, mere, communist, communicate, minus, immune, dismiss, premise, mutual, ammunition, immunity, mole, communism, ammo, mayhem, noodle, communion, intermittent, municipality, moor, communal, mite, omit, commune, 77 more

Today it means

noun A large painting, usually drawn on a wall.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mural”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin murus, French mural. 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- / mural

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