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mai·dan

(mīdän′)

An open space in a South Asian town.

[Hindi and Urdu maidān from Persian maydān, city square, open place from Arabic, city square, open space, racetrack, combat area from māda, to be moved, sway; see myd in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

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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