Etymograph

English

mystique

Mystique comes from French mystique ‘a mystic’, from Latin mysticus ‘of or belonging to secret rites or mysteries’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mewH-ye-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mewH-ye-1reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμῡ́ω2mū́ō‘to shut’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμυέω2muéō‘to initiate into mysteries’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμύστης3mústēs‘one who has been initiated’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμυστικός3‘secret, mystic’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmysticus4‘of or belonging to secret rites or mysteries’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentmystique4‘a mystic’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1960mystique4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek μύω
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek μύστης
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin mysticus
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English mystique
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1960, New reading on railways: “THE LONDON BRIGHTON & SOUTH COAST RAILWAY. By C.…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mewH-ye-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek μύωreconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμῡ́ωWiktionary, Ancient Greek μύστηςmū́ō‘to shut’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμυέωWiktionary, Ancient Greek μύστηςmuéō‘to initiate into mysteries’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμύστηςWiktionary, Latin mysticusmústēs‘one who has been initiated’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμυστικόςWiktionary, Latin mysticus‘secret, mystic’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmysticusWiktionary, English mystique‘of or belonging to secret rites or mysteries’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentmystiqueWiktionary, English mystique‘a mystic’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1960mystiqueWiktionary, English mystique. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1960, New reading on railways: “THE LONDON BRIGHTON & SOUTH COAST RAILWAY. By C.…”

Linked words

through Ancient Greek μῡ́ω ‘to shut’

mysterious, 18 more

Today it means

noun An aura of heightened interest, meaning or mystery surrounding a person or thing.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mystique”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek μύω, Ancient Greek μύστης, Latin mysticus. 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 *mewH-ye- / mystique

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