mind
The faculty of consciousness and thought; the element of a person that enables awareness.
Etymology
From Old English gemynd "memory, thinking, intention," from Proto-Germanic *ga-mundiz. This traces to PIE *men- meaning "to think, to have in mind." This is one of the most productive PIE roots, yielding words for thinking, memory, and mental states across all branches.
The Journey: *men- → mind
*men-
*mundiz
gemynd
mind
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *men-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | ménos (spirit) |
| Latin | mēns (mind) |
| Avestan | manah- (mind) |
| Sanskrit | mánas- (mind) |
| Old Irish | (none direct) |
| Lithuanian | mintìs (thought) |
Did You Know?
PIE *men- is extraordinarily productive in English through Latin: "mental," "mention," "memory," "mentor," "mania," "monster" (originally a divine omen = something to think about), and even "money" (from the temple of Juno Monēta, "the advisor").
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *men-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.