Mall
/mæl/noun
A large retail complex or a tree-lined public promenade.
Did you know?The word came into English from French as the name of a game played on a long, shaded avenue, and that same pathway sense later gave us the modern shopping mall.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Latin
LL
malleus
“a hammer”
Late Medieval French
Old French
“a mallet or wooden hammer; also the game played with one”
17th Century
English
mall
“a promenade or tree-lined walk”
19th Century
English
shopping mall
“a covered or enclosed retail complex”
Modern English
English
mall
“a large retail center or a pedestrian promenade”