There is no etymology for the word mitos, "μίτος", in Greek it has no linguistic essence. It refers to anything that guides, or helps in the resolution of a difficult problem.

The word is related to the expression "mitos of Ariadne", the ball of thread, that according to mythology, Ariadne handed to Theseus in order to find his way out of Minotaur’s labyrinth. In the Liddell & Scott dictionary we find the main interpretations of mitos: thread, spool, web, the string in the lyra instrument, metaphorical meanings such as "fate’s thread" etc.