*matiz

Reconstruction

The word is *matiz in Orel and Wiktionary,^[1][2] and the stem *mati- in Kroonen, Köbler and EWA.^[3][4][5] Its Indo-European origin is disputed.^[2]

Etymology

Kroonen has it from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to satiate”), in view of Ancient Greek μεστός (mestós, “full”).^[3][2] EWA also starts from a root *med-, but in the sense "to measure": following J. A. Harðarson and LIV², it derives the noun from the Germanic verb "to measure", so that it first meant "what is measured out", then "share" and "food".^[5]

Morphology

A masculine i-stem.^[3][4][1] Kroonen calls it an old i-stem, the base of the factitive verb Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (matjan, “to eat”).^[3] Old Norse shows traces of an a-stem in the plural, and the Old High German word is a neuter.^[1] De Vries reports two explanations for the missing umlaut of Old Norse matr: H. Pipping assumed an alternation of a- and i-stem, E. Neuman the influence of compounds such as matlauss.^[6] EWA takes the Germanic i-stem as settled, which rules out Hill's view of an a-stem *mata- beside *mati-; beside it stood a masculine ja-stem *mat-i̯a-, the source of Old High German mezzi (“food”).^[5][7]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐍄𐍃 (mats) in Gothic, Old Norse matr in Old Norse, and Old English mete, Old Frisian mete, Old Saxon meti and Old High German maz in West Germanic.^[3] The Gothic word is in Wulfila's Bible.^[8] EWA cites a runic Danish genitive singular ⟨mataR⟩.^[5]

Competing analyses

Kroonen rejects the old link with Ancient Greek μαδάω (madáō, “to drip, to melt, to be moist”) and Latin madeō (“to be wet”), and holds that mandō (“to bite, to chew”) is not related either.^[3] Orel keeps the link with the Greek and Latin verbs and after Grienberger, and thinks that the word first meant "soft food" as opposed to hard food.^[1] Wiktionary reports that it is usually derived from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂d- (“to drip, to ooze, to wet; grease, fat”), against which Kroonen separates the Germanic food words.^[2] Bammesberger, like EWA, connects it with the verb seen in Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (mitan, “to measure”).^[9] Feist compared Latin mandō, and reports Meringer's connection with mitan;^[10] Lehmann calls the etymology uncertain.^[11]

Meanings

1. food^[3][4][2]

Old Norse also used the word for "meat",^[1] and Old High German for "meal".^[5]

Derivatives

• *matjaną "to eat", derived from the noun.^[1][12] Kroonen derives from it Old Norse mettr (“satisfied, full”) and Old English mettan (“to feed”).^[3]
• *matōną "to feed"^[13] and the neuter *matją "food".^[14]
• Compounds: *matibalgiz "food-bag"^[15][1] and *matilausaz "foodless";^[16][1] *unđurni-matiz "midday meal" in Orel;^[17] and *mati-sahsa- ~ *mati-zahsa- "knife", with a Verner alternation, in Kroonen.^[3]
• Kroonen calls *mōsa- "food" a to-formation closely related to this word.^[18]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐍄𐍃 (mats, “food”)^[10]
• Old Norse: matr (“food”)^[6]
• Old English: mete (“food, nourishment”)^[19]
• Old Frisian: mete (“food”)^[20]
• Old Saxon: meti (“food”)^[21]
• Old High German: maz (“food, meal”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 263
2. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *matiz
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 358
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *mati-
5. ^ a b c d e f Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. maz
6. ^ a b de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. matr
7. ^ Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. mezzi
8. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mats
9. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 133
10. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. mats
11. ^ Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. mats
12. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *matjaną
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *matōną
14. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *matją
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *matibalgiz
16. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *matilausaz
17. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 434
18. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 372
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mėte
20. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mete
21. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mėti