Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/męta

This Proto-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-Slavic

Etymology

From Latin mentha, from Ancient Greek μίνθη (mínthē).

Noun

*męta f[1][2]

mint (plant)

Declension

Declension of *męta (hard a-stem)

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*męta	*mętě	*męty
Accusative	*mętǫ	*mętě	*męty
Genitive	*męty	*mętu	*mętъ
Locative	*mętě	*mętu	mętasъ, mętaxъ^*
Dative	*mętě	*mętama	*mętamъ
Instrumental	mętojǫ, mętǫ^**	*mętama	*mętami
Vocative	*męto	*mętě	*męty

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Alternative forms

*męty

Descendants

East Slavic:
- Belarusian: мя́та (mjáta)
- Russian: мя́та (mjáta)
- Ukrainian: м'я́та (mʺjáta)
South Slavic:
- Old Church Slavonic: мѧта (męta)
- Bulgarian: ме́тва (métva), ме́та (méta)
- Serbo-Croatian:
  Cyrillic: ме̏тва, мѐтвица
  Latin: mȅtva, mètvica
- Slovene: mẹ̑ta, mẹ̑tva (tonal orthography)
West Slavic:
- Czech: máta
- Polish: mięta
- Slovak: mäta
- Sorbian:
  - Lower Sorbian: mjatej
  - Upper Sorbian: mjatej

→ Lithuanian: mėta
→? Romanian: mintă

References

Olander, Thomas (2001), “męta”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b pebermynte (PR 132; RPT 109)”
Snoj, Marko (2016), “mẹ̑ta”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar³ (in Slovene), https://fran.si: “*mę̋ta”

[1] Olander, Thomas (2001), “męta”, in Common Slavic accentological word list, Copenhagen: Editiones Olander: “b pebermynte (PR 132; RPT 109)”

[2] Snoj, Marko (2016), “mẹ̑ta”, in Slovenski etimološki slovar³ (in Slovene), https://fran.si: “*mę̋ta”