Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Middle French, French mitre ornate headdress worn by a bishop (c1170 in Old French; 1576 in sense 1b in the passage translated in quot. 1585 at sense 1b; 1763 in sense 4b; 1803 in sense 6) and their etymon classical Latin mitra oriental headdress, in post-classical Latin also priestly headdress (Vulgate, after similar use of Hellenistic Greek μίτρα in Septuagint: see note at sense 2), headgear worn by bishops (a821, in this sense probably after the use of the word in the Vulgate to denote a priestly headdress) < ancient Greek μίτρα ((Ionic) μίτρη ) headband, Asian headdress, piece of armour (in Homer, apparently a metal (or leather) guard worn around the waist: see sense 1c), in Hellenistic Greek also priestly headdress (Septuagint). Compare Spanish mitra (a1236; 1250 in sense ‘bishop's headgear’), Italian mitra (1281; 14th cent. in form mitria ; 1828 in sense 6), Catalan mitra (1647).Perhaps cognate with Sanskrit mitra friend, companion (see Mithras n.), Avestan miθra contract, friend, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to bind’, or perhaps representing a loan from an unattested Indo-Iranian word derived from this base. Many of the senses of the English word are paralleled in French. Senses attested earlier in French, in addition to those mentioned above, include ‘paper cap worn as a punishment by criminals’ (1383) and ‘paper cap worn as a punishment by condemned Spanish heretics’ (1690; compare spec. use in sense 3c). Compare Middle Dutch mīter (late 13th cent.; Dutch mijter), German Mitra, Old Icelandic mítr, mítra, Swedish mitra (16th cent.), Danish mitra, all ultimately from Latin. Frequently as the name of an inn, hotel, etc.; see the following for some early examples:1608 T. Middleton Mad World, my Masters v. sig. H This will be a True feast, a right Miter supper.1611 L. Barry Ram-Alley ii. sig. D3 Meete me straite At the Myter doore in Fleet-street.1633 Match at Mid-night ii. sig. E3 Come, weele..to the Miter in Bredstreete, weele make a mad night on't.a1695 A. Wood Surv. Antiq. City of Oxf. (1899) III. 152 This High-German..fell sick at his arrival, in the Miter inne.

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps a transferred use of mitre n.¹, perhaps with reference to the early form of the episcopal mitre, which had a vertical band bisecting the angle at the top. Compare post-classical Latin use of classical Latin mitra in sense ‘mitre square’ (1377 in a British source; see mitre n.¹), French mitre an angle of 45 degrees (1765 as an architectural term). Compare mitring n.

Etymology: < mitre n.¹ Compare post-classical Latin mitrare (from 13th cent. in British sources), Middle French, French mitrer (1473), Italian mitrare , mitriare (15th cent.; 1598 in Florio as metrare ), Spanish mitrar , Portuguese mitrar . Compare earlier mitred adj.¹

Etymology: < mitre n.² Compare mitring n.