muesli (English)
Where does "muesli" come from?
The English noun 'muesli' comes from Alemannic German 'Müesli'[1], which is a diminutive form created by combining 'Mues' with the suffix '-li'[3]. The root 'Mues' means 'mashed dish'[1] and traces back through Middle High German 'muos' and Old High German 'muos', meaning 'food, mush'[2]. This ultimately derives from Proto-West Germanic '*mōs', which signified 'wet food, porridge, victuals'[2].
Open questions
- The Proto-West Germanic form is a reconstructed form and not directly attested. [2]
Full etymology tree
- muesli (English), 'A breakfast dish based on uncooked rolled oats and fruit.'
- borrowed Müesli (Alemannic German), 'muesli'
- derived Mues (Alemannic German), 'mush, paste, pulp'
- inherited muos (Middle High German)
- inherited muos (Old High German)
- inherited *mōs (Proto-West Germanic), 'wet food, mush, porridge'
- inherited muos (Old High German)
- inherited muos (Middle High German)
- suffix -li (Alemannic German), 'forms diminutives of nouns'
- derived Mues (Alemannic German), 'mush, paste, pulp'
- borrowed Müesli (Alemannic German), 'muesli'
Cognates and doublets
- moes (Dutch)
Descendants and derived words
- 木斯里 (Chinese)
- Bircher muesli (English)
- muesli belt malnutrition (English)
- muesli muncher (English)
- ミューズリー (Japanese)
- 뮈슬리 (Korean)
Sources
- muesli (English) - Wiktionary
- Mues (Alemannic German) - Wiktionary
- Müesli (Alemannic German) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris