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Origin and history of mola

mola(n.1)

"large, clumsy type of tropical fish, sunfish," 1670s, from Latin mola, literally "millstone" (from PIE root *mele- "to crush, grind"). So called because of the fish's shape and rough skin. Attested in nativized form mole from c. 1600.

mola(n.2)

also mole (late 14c.), "false conception; shapeless, compacy, fleshy mass in the uterus," from Latin mola "false conception," from earlier sense "salt cake;" literally "millstone" (from PIE root *mele- "to crush, grind"). The Latin form is attested in English from c. 1600.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to mola

*mele-

*melə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to crush, grind," with derivatives referring to ground or crumbling substances and crushing or grinding instruments.

It might form all or part of: amyl; amyloid; blintz; emmer; emolument; immolate; maelstrom; mall; malleable; malleolus; mallet; malleus; maul; meal (n.2) "edible ground grain;" mill (n.1) "building fitted to grind grain;" millet; mola; molar (n.); mold (n.3) "loose earth;" molder; ormolu; pall-mall.

It might also be the source of: Hittite mallanzi "they grind;" Armenian malem "I crush, bruise;" Greek mylos "millstone," myle "mill;" Latin molere "to grind," mola "millstone, mill," milium "millet;" Old English melu "meal, flour;" Albanian miel "meal, flour;" Old Church Slavonic meljo, Lithuanian malu, malti "to grind;" Old Church Slavonic mlatu, Russian molotu "hammer."

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    Trends of mola

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

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    mill" (source of French moulin, Spanish molino), originally fem. and neuter of molinus "pertaining to a mill," from Latin mola...
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