Etymology Map
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Midden

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means a dunghill or refuse heap

Where does the word "midden" come from? It comes from Old Norse myki-dyngja, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
myki-dyngja
Old Norse · medieval
"dung heap"
'muck heap', from 'myki', dung, and 'dyngja', heap
2
Stage 2 of 3
midding
Middle English · 1300s
"dunghill"
borrowed in the Danelaw
3
Stage 3 of 3
midden
English · 1500s
"refuse heap"
archaeologists' 'kitchen midden' translates Danish 'køkkenmødding', from 1850s studies of prehistoric shell mounds in Denmark
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Read the full story

Midden’s story begins in Old Norse: myki-dyngja meant “dung heap.” 'muck heap', from 'myki', dung, and 'dyngja', heap. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as midding. Borrowed in the Danelaw. It reached English by 1500s as midden. Archaeologists' 'kitchen midden' translates Danish 'køkkenmødding', from 1850s studies of prehistoric shell mounds in Denmark. Today, midden means a dunghill or refuse heap.