Mild

How to spell mild

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce mild

What does mild mean?

1. adjectiveGentle or moderate in nature, not strong, severe, or harsh.

Mild in a sentence

• The curry was surprisingly mild, with no real heat to it.

• Forecasters promised a mild winter with little frost.

Where does mild come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English word that descends directly from the Old English milde, meaning 'gentle', 'merciful', or 'kind'. It belongs to a broad Germanic family, with close relatives such as the Dutch mild and the German mild, all tracing back to a shared ancestor with the sense of 'soft' or 'slow to anger'. In its earliest use it described a person's temperament, a ruler or judge who was lenient rather than harsh; only later did the word spread to weather, flavours, and the severity of illness. The spelling has stayed remarkably stable across the centuries, dropping only the final -e of the Old English form, which is why it is one of the easier words of its age to write. Its quiet history mirrors its meaning: a calm, unassuming word that has rarely changed shape.

How the word is built

• mild (whole word, from Old English milde 'gentle'); no affixes