*midi

Reconstruction

The word is *midi in Wiktionary,^[1] *medi in Kroonen^[2] and *meþa in Orel;^[3] Köbler heads it *med, and lists *meþ and *mid beside *medi and *midi.^[4]

Etymology

Wiktionary has it inherited from Proto-Indo-European *meth₂ (“with”), from *me "with".^[1] Kroonen reconstructs *met-i and calls it an Indo-European adverb and preposition, originally a locative in -i of a root noun *met- or *medʰ-.^[2]

Morphology

A preposition.^[2][3] As a locative in -i, Kroonen connects it with the adjective *medja- "middle".^[2] In Gothic it governs the dative.^[5]

Evidence

The preposition is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌸 (miþ), Old Norse með, Old English mid, Old Frisian mith, Old Saxon mid and Old High German mit.^[2] The Gothic word is frequent in Wulfila's Bible, for instance at Matthew 5:25.^[5] Kroonen compares Ancient Greek μετά (metá, “in the midst, between, with, after”) and Albanian mjet (“between”);^[2] Orel calls the Germanic word identical with the Greek one,^[3] and Wiktionary adds Sanskrit स्मत् (smat, “together, at the same time”).^[1]

Competing analyses

The sources differ on the final consonant: Kroonen's *medi has d, Orel's *meþa þ,^[2][3] and the daughters show both, as in Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌸 (miþ) beside Old Saxon mid and Old Saxon mith.^[2] Kroonen derives it from *met-i, but leaves open whether the root noun was *met- or *medʰ-;^[2] Köbler starts from *medʰi- and Wiktionary from *meth₂.^[4][1]

Meanings

1. with^[2][3][4]
2. by, through; along, together^[1]

Gothic also used it for "among",^[3] and Old English for "by means of", "in the presence of" and "during".^[6]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌼𐌹𐌸 (miþ, “with, among”)^[5]
• Old Norse: með (“with”), also meðr^[7]
• Old English: mid (“with, by means of, among”)^[6]
• Old Frisian: mith (“with, by means of”)^[8]
• Old Saxon: mid (“with, together with, among, by means of”)^[9]
• Old High German: mit (“with, by, among”), also miti^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *midi
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 360
3. ^ a b c d e f Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 268
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *med
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. miþ
6. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mid
7. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. með
8. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mith
9. ^ Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. s.v. mid
10. ^ 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. mit