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mi·lieu

(mĭl-y, mē-lyœ)

n. pl. mi·lieus or mi·lieux (-lyœ)

An environment or a setting.

[French, from Old French, center : mi, middle (from Latin medius; see medhyo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + lieu, place (from Latin locus).]

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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