*meyth₂-

Reconstruction

The root is *mei̯th₂- in LIV,^[1] *meith₂- in Derksen,^[2] and *m(e)ith₂- for the Latin present in de Vaan.^[3] Cheung writes *meitH₂-,^[4] and Mallory and Adams *meit-.^[5]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a root aorist *méi̯th₂-/mith₂-, a nasal-infix present *mit-né/n-h₂-, a full-grade e-present *méi̯th₂-e- and a causative-iterative *moi̯th₂-éi̯e-, and counts an s-aorist, a perfect and other stems as innovations.^[1] Following Hackstein, LIV notes that the e-present may be a re-categorised subjunctive of the root aorist.^[1] Latin mittō is derived by LIV from *mite- by the littera rule, or, after Rix, from a nasal present *mitne-.^[1] De Vaan finds the littera-rule explanation possible but not certain.^[3]

Evidence

Reflexes are cited below from Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Italic, Germanic, Slavic and Tocharian.^[1] No Anatolian form is cited by LIV.^[1] The Tocharian forms are intransitive, "to set out".^[1][6]

Competing analyses

LIV mentions this root as a possible alternative source of Latin meō (“to go”) and Old Church Slavonic мѣнити (měniti, “to change”), which it otherwise places under *mey-² "to change".^[7] Adams considers a PIE *(s)meith₂- "to go", from which Avestan and Latin would continue a transitive "make go" and Latin mūtāre and Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (maidjan) the iterative.^[6]

Meanings

1. to change, to exchange, to remove,^[1] to exchange, remove^[3]

LIV takes the senses "to give away (in exchange)", "to take away, rob" and "to change (place)" > "to go away" as developments in the individual languages.^[1] De Vaan sees the Latin meanings "to give, bestow" and "to let go, send" as developments of "exchange".^[3] Mallory and Adams count it with *mey-² among the terms of balanced reciprocity,^[8] and Kölligan lists the two roots together for "exchange".^[9]

Derivatives

• *moi̯th₂-éi̯e-, the causative-iterative, in Latin mūtō (“to change”) and Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (maidjan, “to change, falsify”).^[1]
• *moith₂-éie- gives Proto-Germanic *maidjan- (“to damage, hurt”).^[10]
• An adverb is continued by Proto-Slavic *mitě (“in turn, alternately”), compared by Derksen with a Sanskrit adverb "mutually, alternately" and Latin mūtuus (“mutual”).^[2]

Reflexes

• Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit मेथति (méthati, “is angry, is hostile”).^[11]
• Iranian: Khotanese hamäh- (“to change”).^[4]
• Italic: Latin mittō (“to release, let go; send, throw”).^[3]
• Germanic: Old Norse meiða (“to hurt; to damage, destroy”).^[10]
• Slavic: Proto-Slavic *mitě (“in turn, alternately”).^[2]
• Tocharian: Tocharian B mit- (“to set out”).^[6][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *mei̯th₂-
2. ^ a b c Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 318
3. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. mittō
4. ^ a b Cheung, Johnny (2007), Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb, Leiden: Brill, p. 285
5. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 273
6. ^ a b c Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 494
7. ^ Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 2.*mei̯-
8. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 285
9. ^ Klein, Jared; Joseph, Brian; Fritz, Matthias, eds. (2017–2018), Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics, 3 vols (HSK 41), Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, p. 2261, ch. 124, Kölligan
10. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 347
11. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956–1980), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 682