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Origin and history of M

M

13th letter of the English alphabet, from Greek mu, from Semitic mem. It represents a very stable and unchanging sound in Indo-European, described by Johnson as "a kind of humming inward." The Roman symbol for 1,000; sometimes used in this sense in English 15c.-16c.; but in late 20c. newspaper headlines it stands for million. As a thickness of type, from 1680s (commonly spelled out, em).

Entries linking to M

em(n.)

name of the letter M, c. 1200, from Latin; the Greek name was mu. In printing, originally the square corresponding in dimensions to the capital M of that type.

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    Trends of M

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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    meter
    also metre, "poetic measure, metrical scheme, arrangement of language in a series of rhythmic movements," Old English meter "meter, versification," from Latin mētrum, from Greek metron "meter, a verse; that by which anything is measured; measure, length, size, limit, proportion"
    thousand
    "10 times one hundred; the number which is ten times one hundred; a symbol representing this number;" Old English þusend, from Proto-Germanic *thusundi (source also of Old Frisian thusend, Dutch duizend, Old High German dusunt, German tausend, Old Norse þusund, Gothic þusundi). R
    K
    eleventh Roman letter, from Greek kappa, from Phoenician kaph or a similar Semitic source, said to mean literally "hollow of the hand" and to be so called for its shape. Little used in classical Latin, which at an early age conformed most of its words (the exceptions had ritual i
    foremost
    For the -m-, see -most, and compare similarly formed Old Frisian formest, Gothic frumists....The same compound without the superlative -m- is first....
    minim
    Calligraphy sense "short down-stroke of the pen in making m, n, u, etc." is from c. 1600....
    Cassiopeia
    A conspicuous "W" (or "M") of stars, always opposite the Big Dipper, she is represented as seated in a chair....
    Mac-
    Formerly often abbreviated to M' and followed by a capital letter, or spelled out Mac and then rarely used with a capital...
    grand
    late 14c., grant "large, big" (early 12c. in surnames), from Anglo-French graunt and directly from Old French grant, grand (10c., Modern French grand) "large, tall; grown-up; great, powerful, important; strict, severe; extensive; numerous," from Latin grandis "big, great; full, a
    concentration
    1630s, "action of bringing to a center, act of collecting or combining into or about a central point," noun of action from concentrate (v.). Meaning "a mass so collected" is from 1670s; that of "voluntary continuous focusing of mental activity" is from 1825, in phrenology. Concen
    yard
    "patch of ground around a house," Old English geard "fenced enclosure, garden, court; residence, house," from Proto-Germanic *gardan- (source also of Old Norse garðr "enclosure, garden, yard;" Old Frisian garda, Dutch gaard, Old High German garto, German Garten "garden;" Gothic g

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