Middle English word minsen comes from Proto-Indo-European *mī-, Proto-Germanic *minnizô, Proto-Indo-European *(e)mey-, Proto-Indo-European *min-, Proto-Germanic - isōną, and later Proto-Germanic *minniz (Less, to a smaller degree.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *mī- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *minnizô | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | |
| *(e)mey- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | small, little |
| *min- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| - isōną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | |
| *minniz | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | Less, to a smaller degree. |
| min | Old English (ang) | Small. |
| *minnisōną | Proto-Germanic (gem-pro) | To make less, make smaller. |
| minsian | Old English (ang) | To become small. To diminish, lessen, make smaller or less important. |
| minsen | Middle English (enm) |