Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/mḗns

This Proto-Balto-Slavic 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-Balto-Slavic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *mḗms.

Noun

*mḗns n[1][2]

meat

Reconstruction notes

It is unclear if Osthoff's law applied to Proto-Balto-Slavic. The long vowel found in Lithuanian may be the regular reflex of PIE *-ēN- before a consonant. However, in the traditional understanding of Balto-Slavic, the long vowel would result in an acute, which is not present.

Inflection

Mobile accent, plural *mēnsā́ˀ.

Descendants

The Baltic forms derive from the plural, reanalysed as a singular. The Slavic form was back-formed from the plural.

Latvian: mìesa
Lithuanian: mėsà
Old Prussian: menso, mensā
Samogitian: męsà
Proto-Slavic: *mę̑so (see there for further descendants)

References

Derksen, Rick (2008), “*mę̑so”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 315: “BSl. *mēns; *mēnsaʔ”
Derksen, Rick (2015), “mėsa”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 312: “BSl. *mēns; *mēnsaʔ”

[1] Derksen, Rick (2008), “*mę̑so”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 315: “BSl. *mēns; *mēnsaʔ”

[2] Derksen, Rick (2015), “mėsa”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 312: “BSl. *mēns; *mēnsaʔ”