μῆτις

Forms

μῆτῐς (mêtis) f (genitive μήτῐος or μήτῐδος); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *mḗtis, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *méh₁tis (“measurement”), a verbal noun of *meh₁- (“to measure”).^[1][2] Beekes takes the original sense to be “measuring”.^[2] The same formation survives only in an isolated Germanic word, Old English mǣþ (“measure”), and is presupposed by the denominative verb Latin mētior (“to measure”).^[2][1] The root also gave Greek μήτρα (mḗtrā, “land-measure”) and, with another vowel grade and the instrument suffix *-trom, μέτρον (métron);^[2] Beekes refers further to μήδομαι (mḗdomai).^[2] Other languages kept other old verbal nouns from the root, such as Old High German māl (“point of time; meal”).^[2]

The ⟨τ⟩ before ⟨ι⟩ is unexpected: Attic-Ionic would have changed it to ⟨σ⟩ (giving *μῆσις (mêsis)), so the word is an archaic element from Aeolic and perhaps Doric.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

In Homer it means skill, wisdom and counsel: in the Iliad a hero is called “equal to Zeus in counsel” (2.407), and in the Odyssey cleverness goes together with cunning gains.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

It is a word of poetry, used by Homer, Pindar, Empedocles and Apollonius of Rhodes, and in tragedy by Aeschylus and Sophocles.^[4][3] Besides skill it means a plan or scheme;^[4] Pindar uses it of a poet's skill and of the cunning of a fox, and Empedocles speaks of “mortal wisdom”.^[4][3] Hesiod personifies it as Metis, the wife of Zeus and mother of Athena, and Plato too names her.^[4] Beekes refers to Detienne and Vernant's study of the concept of μῆτις.^[2]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use it for skill, counsel and plans.^[3][4]
• Before the 6th century BC – Hesiod's Theogony makes Metis a goddess.^[4][5]
• 6th–5th century BC – Pindar uses it of a poet's skill and of the cunning of a fox.^[4][5]
• 5th century BC – Empedocles speaks of “mortal wisdom”.^[3][5]
• 5th century BC – Herodotus quotes an oracle that uses the dative μήτιδι.^[3][4][5]
• 3rd century BC – Apollonius of Rhodes still uses it in epic.^[4][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Skill, cleverness, shrewdness.^[4][3]
2. Counsel, planning, advice.^[4]
3. A plan, scheme, design.^[4]
4. (mythology) Metis, the wife of Zeus and mother of Athena.^[4]

Word family

• ἀγκυλομήτης (ankulomḗtēs)
• μητίετα (mētíeta)
• ποικιλομήτης (poikilomḗtēs)
• πολύμητις (polúmētis)

Related words

• μέτρον (métron)
• μήδομαι (mḗdomai)
• Latin mētior

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge