max (English)

Where does "max" come from?

The English adjective 'max' developed as an abbreviation of the word 'maximum'[1]. The latter traveled into English via French from Latin 'maximum'[2].

Full etymology tree

• max (English), 'Maximum; maximal.'
  • abbreviation maximum (English), 'The highest limit.'
    • borrowed maximum (French), 'maximum'
      • borrowed maximum (Latin), 'inflection of maximus:'

Descendants and derived words

• infomax (English)
• max-level (English)
• max Q (English)
• supermax (English)
• supermax (English)
• supramax (English)

Sources

1. max (English) - Wiktionary
2. maximum (English) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris