Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/mey-

This Proto-Indo-European 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-Indo-European

Root

*mey-

2. to strengthen

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (strengthen) (24 c, 0 e)

• *moy-ni-
  • Italic:
    • Latin: moenia, mūniō (see there for further descendants)
• *moy-ro-
  • Proto-Germanic: *mairiją (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Italic: *moiros (see there for further descendants)

Root

*mey-

2. to bind

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (bind) (9 c, 0 e)

• *mi-néw-ti ~ *mi-nw-énti (new-present)
  • Proto-Celtic: *minuti (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *mináwti
    • Sanskrit: मिनोति (minoti, “to fix, establish”)
• *mi-tró-
  • Proto-Hellenic:
    • Ancient Greek: μίτρα f (mítra)
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *mitrás m (see there for further descendants)

Root

*mey-

2. to change
3. to exchange
4. to change places → to go past

Alternative reconstructions

• *h₂mey-, if *h₂meygʷ- (“to exchange, to wander”) (compare Ancient Greek ἀμείβω (ameíbō) and Latin migro) belongs here.

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (change) (66 c, 0 e)

• *h₂meygʷ- (possibly)
• *méy-e-tor
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *máyatay
    • Proto-Indo-Aryan: *máyatay
      • Sanskrit: मयते (máyate)
• *mi-s-dʰ(h₁)-ó-s
• *mey-eh₂-yeti
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *mejāˀtei
    • Proto-Slavic: *mijati (see there for further descendants)
• *meyḱ-, *meyǵ- (possibly)
• *m(e)y-t-s
  • Italic:
    • Latin: (trā)mes (with *terh₂-) (see there for further descendants)
• *mi-t-eh₂
  • Proto-Italic: *sēmitā
    • Latin: (sē)mita (with *swé) (see there for further descendants)
• *moy-teh₂
  • Proto-Italic: *moitā
    • ⇒ Latin: mūtō (see there for further descendants)
• *meyth₂-
• *mi-néh₁-ti
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *mináHti
    • Proto-Indo-Aryan: *mináHti
      • Sanskrit: मिनाति (mināti, “to change”)
• *mey-o- (“change, movement”)
  • Proto-Italic: *meo-
    • ⇒ Latin: meō (“to traverse”)
• *mey-n-eh₂-
  • Celtic:
    • Old Irish: mían (“desire, inclination”)
• *moy-n-eh₂
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *mainā́ˀ
    • Eastern Baltic:
      • Latvian: maîna, maĩņa
    • Proto-Slavic: *měna (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *máynaH
    • Proto-Indo-Aryan: *máynaH
      • Sanskrit: मेना (ménā, “concubine”)
• *moy-n-éye-ti- (causative suffix)
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *máinīˀtei
    • Latgalian: maineitʹ
    • Latvian: mainīt
    • Lithuanian: mainyti
    • Proto-Slavic: *měniti (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Germanic: *mainijaną (“to mean, think”) (see there for further descendants)
• *moy-no-s
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic:
    • Eastern Baltic:
      • Lithuanian: mai̇̃nas
• *moy-nos ~ *moy-nes-os
  • Proto-Italic: *moinos (see there for further descendants)
• *moy-ni-
  • Proto-Celtic: *moinis (“treasure, precious object”) (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Germanic: *mainiz (“common”) (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Italic: *moinis (see there for further descendants)
• *ḱom-moy-ni-
  • Proto-Germanic: *gamainiz (“shared, ordinary”) (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Italic: *kommoinis (see there for further descendants)

Unsorted formations

• Balto-Slavic:
  • Latgalian: meitʹ (“to exchange”)
  • Latgalian: meja (“change”)
  • Lithuanian: mît (“to exchange”)
  • Proto-Slavic: *mimo (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Slavic: *mito (“turn, twist, arc”)
  • Proto-Slavic: *minǫti (“to pass”) (see there for further descendants)
    • ⇒ Proto-Slavic: *mitě (“in turn, following, alternately”) (see there for further descendants)
• Celtic:
  • Middle Welsh: tremyn (“to go past”)

Root

*mey-

2. small, little

Alternative reconstructions

• *meyh₁-
• *(s)mey(h₁)-, *(s)mey(h₁)-g/k- (if related to Latin mīca, Ancient Greek σμῑκρός (smīkrós)/ μικρός (mikrós), Proto-Germanic *smikraz etc., but these appear to be formally incompatible, perhaps sound-symbolic)

Derived terms

Terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mey- (small) (8 c, 0 e)

• *mi-néh₁-ti ~ *mi-nh₁-énti
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *mináHti
    • Proto-Indo-Aryan: *mináHti
      • Sanskrit: मिनाति (minā́ti, “he damages, diminishes”)
• *mi-néw-ti ~ *mi-nw-énti
• *mi-nu-yṓs ~ *mi-nw-is-és (“smaller, less”, comparative) (with *nu from the verb)
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *minijas
    • Proto-Slavic: *mьňьjь (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Germanic: *minniz, *minnizô (see there for further descendants)
• *mi-nṓs (“smaller, less”, comparative) (with *n from the verb)
  • Proto-Italic: *minōs, *minos
    • Latin: minor, minus
• ⇒? *mey-d (d-extension)
  • ⇒ *moyd-e-ti (o-grade present)^?
    • Proto-Germanic: *maitaną (“to cut, hew”) (see there for further descendants)

Unsorted formations

• Proto-Germanic: *maiwaz (“slim, narrow”)
  • Old Norse: mjór
• Hellenic:
  • Ancient Greek: μείων (meíōn, “less, smaller”)
  • Ancient Greek: μίνυνθα (mínuntha, “for a little while”)
• Italic:
  • Latin: minimus (“smallest”)
• Proto-Tocharian:
  • Tocharian B: maiwe (“small, young”)