mule

Where does the word "mule" come from? It comes from Latin mulus, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Mule’s story begins in Latin: mulus meant “mule.” Romans bred mules as pack animals for their armies. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as mul. The offspring of a donkey and horse. It reached English by 1200s as mule. Reinforced an earlier Old English borrowing, 'mul'; 'mule' for a drug courier dates from the 1900s. Today, mule means the offspring of a donkey and a horse.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient mulus "mule", Romans bred mules as pack animals for their armies.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval mul "mule", the offspring of a donkey and horse.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s mule "mule", reinforced an earlier Old English borrowing, 'mul'; 'mule' for a drug courier dates from the 1900s.