English word origin

Etymology of Mei

From Mandarin 美 (měi, “beautiful”), a common Chinese given name among women.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

A female given name from Mandarin.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 美 (měi, “beautiful”), a common Chinese given name among women.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention美cmn

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "美",
        "4": "",
        "5": "beautiful",
        "tr": "měi"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 美 (měi, “beautiful”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "美",
      "美#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A female given name from Mandarin."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "ff8bac2e1e22695568b8f19577132dfb7fe6df1cbf98c4473a1dbd8ad386bf4a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "576d00f8e415993f39b4554e0d3a8a4b5c2a9ea65290dfe1f876b6ddf0b4ae8b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1625427
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from Mandarin.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Typically renders the common Chinese surnames Mandarin 梅 (méi, literally “plum”) and Mandarin 枚 (méi, literally “tree trunk”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention梅cmn
Borrowed-form mention枚cmn

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "梅",
        "lit": "plum",
        "tr": "méi"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 梅 (méi, literally “plum”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "枚",
        "4": "",
        "lit": "tree trunk",
        "tr": "méi"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 枚 (méi, literally “tree trunk”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "梅",
      "梅#Mandarin"
    ],
    [
      "枚",
      "枚#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Mandarin."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "86b0eb98434f90a12041df30d6dde2cb96c2ce9c35236e0228ec7c46d4ff74b1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "65e370c2d2f02d503fee923232746d916ad52321c524d92962b82b8e8a85062f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1625428
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

name

A county of Baoji, Shaanxi, China.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 眉 (Méi).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention^眉cmn

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "interproject-box",
      "args": {
        "logo": "Commons-logo.svg",
        "logolink": "commons:Category:Mei County",
        "intro": "Wikimedia Commons has media about",
        "noitalic": "",
        "link": "Mei County"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "commonscat",
      "args": {
        "1": "Mei County"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "^眉"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 眉 (Méi)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "眉",
      "眉#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A county of Baoji, Shaanxi, China."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "b16d211f3fe75027ff171ba13aa59e4f4b38865b24d902bd973adab5f0bc4968",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c25a090fb1e628caa11ebca25e3b2e49e79f119bc82209f9338a3e1a5cf9188c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1625429
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Mei →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-TWVp