Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/médʰu

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

Etymology

Possibly related to Proto-Semitic *mataḳ- (“sweet”)[1], if not itself borrowed from Hittite 𒃻𒆸𒊏𒆯𒆯 (/mitgaimi/)[2].

Noun

*médʰu n[3][1][4][5][6]

honey
Synonyms: *kn̥h₂ónks, *mélit
honey wine, mead

Inflection

Athematic, proterokinetic
	singular
nominative	*médʰu
genitive	*m̥dʰéws
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*médʰu	*médʰwih₁	*médʰuh₂
vocative	*médʰu	*médʰwih₁	*médʰuh₂
accusative	*médʰu	*médʰwih₁	*médʰuh₂
genitive	*m̥dʰéws	*?	*m̥dʰéwoHom
ablative	*m̥dʰéws	*?	*m̥dʰúmos
dative	*m̥dʰéwey	*?	*m̥dʰúmos
locative	m̥dʰéw, m̥dʰéwi	*?	*m̥dʰúsu
instrumental	*m̥dʰúh₁	*?	*m̥dʰúmis

Derived terms

>? *medʰu-h₁éd-[7][8]
- Proto-Balto-Slavic: *medwḗˀdis (from an earlier *médu-ēd-is)
  - Proto-Slavic: *medvědь (“bear”)
- Proto-Indo-Iranian: *madʰuHád
  - Proto-Indo-Aryan: *madʰuHád
    - Sanskrit: मध्वद् (madhvád, “honey-eater”)
>? *medʰw-o-s
- Proto-Celtic: *medwos
  - Middle Irish: medb, Medb
    - → English: Maeve
  - Welsh: meddw
>? *mḗdʰu-[9] or *módʰu-[10] (or borrowed from Sogdian 𐼺𐼴𐼹‎ (mwδ /muδ/)[9])
- Proto-Tocharian:
  - Tocharian B: mot (“alcohol”)

Descendants

Proto-Anatolian: *médu
- Hittite: 𒃻𒆸𒊏𒆯𒆯 (^NINDAKUR₄.RA KU₇-KU₇ /mitgaimi-/, “sweet bread”) (if not borrowed from Akkadian)
  - → Proto-Semitic: *mataḳ- (“sweet”) (possibly[2])
- Luwian: 𒈪𒀉𒂵𒄿𒈪 (mi-it-ga-i-mi /mitgaimi-/, “sweet(ened)”)
- Luwian: (“wine”)
  Cuneiform: 𒈠𒀜𒁺 (ma-ad-du /máddu/)
  Anatolian Hieroglyphs: 𔒅𔕬𔑷 (ma-tú-sà), 𔒅𔑢𔑷 (ma-tu-sà /máddu-sa/)
>? Proto-Armenian: *melu̍β̞i[11] (< instr.pl. *medʰubʰi)
- Old Armenian: մեղու (mełu)
Proto-Balto-Slavic: *médu (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Celtic: *medu (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Germanic: *meduz (see there for further descendants)
- →? Hunnic: μέδος (médos, “beverage akin to mead”)
Proto-Hellenic: *métʰu (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Indo-Iranian: *mádʰu (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Iranian: *mádu (see there for further descendants)
  - →? Proto-Turkic: *bal[12]
- → Proto-Northeast Caucasian: *mHädwV (“type of beverage; liquor”)[13]
Proto-Tocharian: *ḿətə[14]
- Tocharian B: mīt
- → Late Old Chinese: 蜜 (mit)[15] (see there for further descendants)
- →? Proto-Turkic: *mïr[12]
- → Proto-Uralic: *mete[16] (see there for further descendants)
→ Etruscan: 𐌌𐌀𐌈𐌂𐌅𐌀 (maθcva, “(honeyed) wine, sweet wine”)

References

Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006) The Oxford introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European world, Oxford University Press, page 82: “*médhu”
Rabin, Chaim (1963), “Hittite Words in Hebrew”, in Orientalia, volume 32, issue 2, DOI:10.2307/43073741, page 130
Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 707
Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008) Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon [Nouns in the Indo-European Lexicon] (in German), Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, page 467
Klein, Jared S.; Joseph, Brian D.; Fritz, Matthias, editor (2017–2018) Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, pages 2235, 2275
Kapović, Mate (2017), “Part 1 Chapter 1: Proto-Indo-European phonology”, in Kapović, Mate, editor, The Indo-European Languages (Routledge Language Family Series), 2nd edition, London, New York: Routledge, →ISBN, page 31: “PIE *medʰu ‘mead’”
Langston, Keith (2017–2018), “Chapter XIII: Slavic”, in Klein, Jared S.; Joseph, Brian D.; Fritz, Matthias, editor, Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, § The morphology of Slavic, page 1540
Dunkel, George E. (2014) Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher) (in German), Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH Heidelberg, →ISBN, page 603
Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), “mot”, in A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 511: “*mēdʰu-”
Hackstein, Olav (2017–2018), “Chapter XII: Tocharian”, in Klein, Jared S.; Joseph, Brian D.; Fritz, Matthias, editor, Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, § The phonology of Tocharian, page 1321
Macak, Martin (2017–2018), “Chapter X: Armenian”, in Klein, Jared S.; Joseph, Brian D.; Fritz, Matthias, editor, Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, § The phonology of Classical Armenian, page 1041
Witzel, Michael (2009), “The linguistic history of some Indian domestic plants”, in Journal of BioSciences, volume 34, issue 6, Indian Academy of Sciences, page 9
Starostin, S. A. (2007), “Indo-European among other language families: problems of dating, contacts and genetic relationships”, in Starostin, G. S., editor, Trudy po jazykoznaniju [Proceedings in Linguistics]‎ (in Russian), Moscow: Jazyki slavjanskix kulʹtur, →ISBN, page 818: “...or *mHädwV ʽa k. of beverage, liquorʼ”
Ringe, D. A., Jr. (1988–1990), “Evidence for the position of Tocharian in the Indo-European family?”, in Die Sprache, volume 34, Vienna: Universität Wien, page 114
Adams, Douglas Q. (2013) A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN
Joki, Aulis J. (1973) Uralier und Indogermanen [Uralians and Indo-Europeans] (Suomalais-Ugrilaisen Seuran Toimituksia; 151) (in German), Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, →ISBN

[TOitPIEatPIEw-1] Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006) The Oxford introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European world, Oxford University Press, page 82: “*médhu”

[Rabin-Hit.-2] Rabin, Chaim (1963), “Hittite Words in Hebrew”, in Orientalia, volume 32, issue 2, DOI:10.2307/43073741, page 130

[3] Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 707

[4] Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008) Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon [Nouns in the Indo-European Lexicon] (in German), Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, page 467

[5] Klein, Jared S.; Joseph, Brian D.; Fritz, Matthias, editor (2017–2018) Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, pages 2235, 2275

[6] Kapović, Mate (2017), “Part 1 Chapter 1: Proto-Indo-European phonology”, in Kapović, Mate, editor, The Indo-European Languages (Routledge Language Family Series), 2nd edition, London, New York: Routledge, →ISBN, page 31: “PIE *medʰu ‘mead’”

[7] Langston, Keith (2017–2018), “Chapter XIII: Slavic”, in Klein, Jared S.; Joseph, Brian D.; Fritz, Matthias, editor, Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, § The morphology of Slavic, page 1540

[8] Dunkel, George E. (2014) Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher) (in German), Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH Heidelberg, →ISBN, page 603

[Adams-9] Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), “mot”, in A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 511: “*mēdʰu-”

[10] Hackstein, Olav (2017–2018), “Chapter XII: Tocharian”, in Klein, Jared S.; Joseph, Brian D.; Fritz, Matthias, editor, Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, § The phonology of Tocharian, page 1321

[11] Macak, Martin (2017–2018), “Chapter X: Armenian”, in Klein, Jared S.; Joseph, Brian D.; Fritz, Matthias, editor, Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics: An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft [Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science]; 41.2), Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →ISBN, § The phonology of Classical Armenian, page 1041

[Witzel-12] Witzel, Michael (2009), “The linguistic history of some Indian domestic plants”, in Journal of BioSciences, volume 34, issue 6, Indian Academy of Sciences, page 9

[13] Starostin, S. A. (2007), “Indo-European among other language families: problems of dating, contacts and genetic relationships”, in Starostin, G. S., editor, Trudy po jazykoznaniju [Proceedings in Linguistics]‎ (in Russian), Moscow: Jazyki slavjanskix kulʹtur, →ISBN, page 818: “...or *mHädwV ʽa k. of beverage, liquorʼ”

[14] Ringe, D. A., Jr. (1988–1990), “Evidence for the position of Tocharian in the Indo-European family?”, in Die Sprache, volume 34, Vienna: Universität Wien, page 114

[15] Adams, Douglas Q. (2013) A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN

[16] Joki, Aulis J. (1973) Uralier und Indogermanen [Uralians and Indo-Europeans] (Suomalais-Ugrilaisen Seuran Toimituksia; 151) (in German), Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, →ISBN