mole

a mole (animal)

Meaning

Noun

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Origin

  • From Middle English mole, mool, from Old English māl, from Proto-West Germanic *mail, from Proto-Germanic *mailą, from Proto-Indo-European *mel-, *melw-, from Proto-Indo-European *mey-, *my-.
  • Cognate with Scots mail, Saterland Frisian Moal, German dialectal Meil, Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌻.
  • From Middle English molle, molde, mole, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *mulaz, *mulhaz, from Proto-Indo-European *molg-, *molk-, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)melw-.
  • Cognate with North Frisian mull, Saterland Frisian molle, Dutch mol, Low German Mol, Mul, German Molch, Old Russian смолжь, Czech mlž.
  • Derivation as an abbreviation of Middle English molewarpe, a variation of moldewarpe, moldwerp in Middle English is unexplained and probably unlikely due to the simultaneous occurrence of both words. See mouldwarp.
  • From moll (from Moll, an archaic nickname for Mary), influenced by the spelling of the word mole, and due to and merging as in the Australian accent.
  • From French môle or Latin mōles ("mass, heap, rock").
  • Calqued from German Mol; spelled as if it had come directly from molecule or Latin moles (the ultimate source of Mol and molecule in any event).
  • From French môle, from Latin mola ("millstone"), because it is a hardened mass.
  • From Spanish mole, from Classical Nahuatl mōlli.

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