Reconstruction:Proto-Uralic/mete

This Proto-Uralic 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-Uralic

Etymology

Borrowed from Proto-Tocharian *ḿətə, from Proto-Indo-European *médʰu. One of the words found only within the traditional Finno-Ugric group.

It is not clear if the Mari words are inherited, as loss of *-t- would be irregular (contrast the development in *pata, *wete). UEW suggests the possibility of deriving them from a separate root *mäkɜ, while another possibility is loaning from Permic.

Noun

*mete

honey

Descendants

Proto-Finno-Permic:
- Proto-Finnic: *meci (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Mari: *mü (see there for further descendants)
- Proto-Mordvinic:
  - Erzya: медь (medʹ)
  - Moksha: медь (medʹ)
- Proto-Permic: *må
  - Komi:
    - Komi-Permyak: ма (ma)
    - Komi-Zyrian: ма (ma)
  - Udmurt: му (mu)
Proto-Ugric: *mitĭ (see there for further descendants)

References

Rédei, Károly (1986–88) Uralisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Uralic Etymological Dictionary] (in German), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó
Sammallahti, Pekka (1988), “Historical Phonology of the Uralic Languages”, in Denis, Sinor, editor, The Uralic Languages: Description, History and Foreign Influences, Leiden: E. J. Brill, →ISBN, pages 478-554

External links

Entry #539 in Uralonet, online Uralic etymological database of the Research Institute for Linguistics, Hungary.