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Where does the word "milieu" come from? It comes from Latin medius locus, passing through French before entering English (1850s).
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Where does the word "milieu" come from? It comes from Latin medius locus, passing through French before entering English (1850s).
Milieu’s story begins in Latin: medius locus meant “middle place.” 'medius', middle, plus 'locus', place. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in French as milieu. 'mi', middle, plus 'lieu', place. It reached English by 1850s as milieu. Used of social environments. Today, milieu means a person's social environment.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient medius locus "middle place", 'medius', middle, plus 'locus', place.
- Stage 2 · French · 1800s milieu "middle", 'mi', middle, plus 'lieu', place.
- Stage 3 · English · 1850s milieu "surroundings", used of social environments.