Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/mey-

This Proto-Indo-European entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Indo-European

Root

*mey-^[1]^[2]

to attach, bind, strengthen

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (bind) (25 c, 0 e)

*mi-néw-ti ~ *mi-nw-énti (néw-present)^[1]^[3]
- Proto-Celtic: *minuti (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *mináwti
  - Sanskrit: मिनोति (minóti, “to fix, establish”)
*mi-tró-
- Proto-Hellenic:
  - >? Ancient Greek: μίτρα f (mítra)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *mitrás m (see there for further descendants)
*moy-ni-^[4]
- Proto-Italic: *moini
  - Latin: moene (Old Latin), ⇒ moenia (see there for further descendants)
*moy-r-yo-m^[5]
- Proto-Germanic: *mairiją (see there for further descendants)
*moy-ro-s^[6]^[5]
- Proto-Italic: *moiros
  - Latin: mūrus (see there for further descendants)

Root

*mey-^[7]^[8]

to change
to exchange
to change places → to go past

Alternative reconstructions

*h₂mey-, if *h₂meygʷ- (“to exchange, to wander”) (compare Ancient Greek ἀμείβω (ameíbō) and Latin migro) belongs here.

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (change) (79 c, 0 e)

*h₂meygʷ- (possibly)
*méy-e-tor
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *máyatay
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *máyatay
    - Sanskrit: मयते (máyate)
*mi-s-dʰ(h₁)-ó-s
*mey-eh₂-yeti
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *mejāˀtei
  - Proto-Slavic: *mijati (see there for further descendants)
*meyḱ-, *meyǵ- (possibly)
*m(e)y-t-s
- Italic:
  - Latin: (trā)mes (with *terh₂-) (see there for further descendants)
*mi-t-eh₂
- Proto-Italic: *sēmitā
  - Latin: (sē)mita (with *swé) (see there for further descendants)
*moy-teh₂
- Proto-Italic: *moitā
  - ⇒ Latin: mūtō (see there for further descendants)
*meyth₂-
*mi-néh₁-ti
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *mináHti
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *mináHti
    - Sanskrit: मिनाति (mināti, “to change”)
*mey-o- (“change, movement”)^[9]
- Proto-Italic: *meo-
  - ⇒ Latin: meō (“to traverse”)
*mey-n-eh₂-
- Celtic:
  - Old Irish: mían (“desire, inclination”)
*moy-n-eh₂
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *mainā́ˀ
  - Eastern Baltic:
    - Latvian: maîna, maĩņa
  - Proto-Slavic: *měna (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *máynaH
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *máynaH
    - Sanskrit: मेना (ménā, “concubine”)
*moy-n-éye-ti- (causative suffix)
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *máinīˀtei
  - Latgalian: maineitʹ
  - Latvian: mainīt
  - Lithuanian: mainyti
  - Proto-Slavic: *měniti (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Germanic: *mainijaną (“to mean, think”) (see there for further descendants)
*moy-no-s
- Proto-Balto-Slavic:
  - Eastern Baltic:
    - Lithuanian: mai̇̃nas
*moy-nos ~ *moy-nes-os
- Proto-Italic: *moinos (see there for further descendants)
*moy-ni-
- Proto-Celtic: *moinis (“treasure, precious object”) (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Germanic: *mainiz (“common”) (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Italic: *moinis (see there for further descendants)
*ḱom-moy-ni-
- Proto-Germanic: *gamainiz (“shared, ordinary”) (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Italic: *kommoinis (see there for further descendants)

Unsorted formations

Balto-Slavic:
- Latgalian: meitʹ (“to exchange”)
- Latgalian: meja (“change”)
- Lithuanian: mît (“to exchange”)
- Proto-Slavic: *mimo (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Slavic: *mito (“turn, twist, arc”)
- Proto-Slavic: *minǫti (“to pass”) (see there for further descendants)
  - ⇒ Proto-Slavic: *mitě (“in turn, following, alternately”) (see there for further descendants)
Celtic:
- Middle Welsh: tremyn (“to go past”)

Root

*mey-^[10]^[11]

small, little

Alternative reconstructions

*meyh₁-^[12]
*(s)mey(h₁)-, *(s)mey(h₁)-g/k- (if related to Latin mīca, Ancient Greek σμῑκρός (smīkrós)/ μικρός (mikrós), Proto-Germanic *smikraz etc., but these appear to be formally incompatible, perhaps sound-symbolic)

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (small) (45 c, 0 e)

*mi-néh₁-ti ~ *mi-nh₁-énti^[13]
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *mináHti
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *mináHti
    - Sanskrit: मिनाति (minā́ti, “he damages, diminishes”)
*mi-néw-ti ~ *mi-nw-énti^[14]^[15]
*mi-nu-yṓs ~ *mi-nw-is-és (“smaller, less”, comparative) (with *nu from the verb)
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *minijas
  - Proto-Slavic: *mьňьjь (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Germanic: *minniz, *minnizô (see there for further descendants)
*mi-nṓs (“smaller, less”, comparative) (with *n from the verb)
- Proto-Italic: *minōs, *minos
  - Latin: minor, minus
⇒? *mey-d (d-extension)
- ⇒ *moyd-e-ti (o-grade present)^?
  - Proto-Germanic: *maitaną (“to cut, hew”) (see there for further descendants)

Unsorted formations

Proto-Germanic: *maiwaz (“slim, narrow”)
- Old Norse: mjór
Hellenic:
- Ancient Greek: μείων (meíōn, “less, smaller”)
- Ancient Greek: μίνυνθα (mínuntha, “for a little while”)
Italic:
- Latin: minimus (“smallest”)
Proto-Tocharian:
- Tocharian B: maiwe (“small, young”)^[13]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), “1. *mei̯-”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 426
^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), “1. mei-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 709
^ Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages *mi-nu-–271
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “moenia, -ium”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 385
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*mairja-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 348
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “mūrus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 396
^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 710
^ Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), “*mei-”, in Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 184
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 373-374
^ Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009), “minder”, in Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands‎^[2] (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press
^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 711
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “minor, -or, -us”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 381–382
^ Ringe, Donald (2006), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1)‎^[3], 1st edition, Oxford: University Press, →ISBN, page 139
^ Calin, Didier (2017), “to lessen”, in Dictionary of Indo-European Poetic and Religious Themes (Linguistique; 3), Les Cent Chemins, →ISBN, page 135: “*minéuti”

[LIV_1-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Rix, Helmut, editor (2001), “1. *mei̯-”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben [Lexicon of Indo-European Verbs] (in German), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 426

[2] Pokorny, Julius (1959), “1. mei-”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 709

[3] Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages *mi-nu-–271

[EDL_1-4] De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “moenia, -ium”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 385

[EDPG_1-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*mairja-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 348

[EDL_2-6] De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “mūrus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 396

[7] Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 710

[8] Mallory, J. P., Adams, D. Q., editors (1997), “*mei-”, in Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 184

[9] De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 373-374

[Philippa_EWN_2009-10] Philippa, Marlies; Debrabandere, Frans; Quak, Arend; Schoonheim, Tanneke; van der Sijs, Nicoline (2003–2009), “minder”, in Etymologisch woordenboek van het Nederlands‎^[2] (in Dutch), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press

[11] Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 711

[12] De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN

[De_Vaan-13] 13.0 ^13.1 De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “minor, -or, -us”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 381–382

[Ringe_2006-14] Ringe, Donald (2006), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1)‎^[3], 1st edition, Oxford: University Press, →ISBN, page 139

[15] Calin, Didier (2017), “to lessen”, in Dictionary of Indo-European Poetic and Religious Themes (Linguistique; 3), Les Cent Chemins, →ISBN, page 135: “*minéuti”

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