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my·na or my·nah

(mīnə)

Any of various starlings found in South and Southeast Asia and on some islands of the South Pacific, most of which are bluish-black or dark brown with a yellow bill. Certain species, especially the hill myna, are known for mimicry of human speech.

[Hindi mainā, perhaps from Sanskrit madanaḥ, from madana-, delightful, joyful, from madati, it bubbles.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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