mei-

I. mei-¹

To change, go, move; with derivatives referring to the exchange of goods and services within a society as regulated by custom or law.

Derivatives include mad, molt, mutate, mistake, communism, amoeba, and migrate.

1. meatus; congé, irremeable, permeate, from Latin meāre, to go, pass.

2. Suffixed o-grade form *moi-to-.

a. mad, from Old English *gemǣdan, to make insane or foolish, from Germanic *ga-maid-jan, denominative from *ga-maid-az, “changed (for the worse),” abnormal (*ga-, intensive prefix; see kom);

b. mew¹, molt, mutate; commute, permute, remuda, transmute, from Latin mūtāre, to change;

c. mutual, from Latin mūtuus, “done in exchange,” borrowed, reciprocal, mutual.

3. Suffixed zero-grade form *mi-tā-. azimuth, zenith, from Latin sēmita, sidetrack, side path (< “thing going off to the side” sē-, apart; see s(w)e-).

4. Suffixed zero-grade form *mi-tro-.

a. Mitra, from Sanskrit mitraḥ, friend, friendship;

b. Mithras, from Avestan and Old Persian mithra-, contract. Both a and b from Indo-Iranian *mitra-, friend(ship), contract, god of the contract.

5. Suffixed extended zero-grade form *mit-to-.

a. mis-¹, from Old English mis-, mis-, and Old French mes- (from Frankish *miss-);

b. amiss, mistake, from Old Norse mis(s), mis(s)-, miss, mis-;

c. miss¹, from Old English missan, to miss, from Germanic *missjan, to go wrong. a-c all from Germanic *missa-, “in a changed manner,” abnormally, wrongly.

6. Suffixed o-grade form *moi-n- in compound adjective *ko-moin-i-, “held in common” (*ko-, together; see kom).

a. mean², demean², from Old English gemǣne, common, public, general, from Germanic *gamainiz;

b. common, commune¹, commune², communicate, communism; excommunicate, incommunicado, from Latin commūnis, common, public, general.

7. Suffixed o-grade form *moi-n-es-.

a. municipal, munificent, remunerate, from Latin mūnus, “service performed for the community,” duty, work, “public spectacle paid for by a magistrate,” gift;

b. immune, from Latin immūnis, exempt from public service (in-, negative prefix; see ne).

8. Extended form *(ə)meigʷ-.

a. amoeba, from Greek ameibein, to change;

b. migrate; emigrate, from Latin migrāre, to change one's place of living.

 

[Pokorny 2. mei-, 3. mei- 710, mei-gᵘ̯- 713, 2. mei-t(h)- 715.]

  II. mei-²

Small.

Derivatives include menu, mince, minestrone, and minister.

1. meiosis; Miocene, from Greek meiōn, less, lesser, from extended variant *meiu-.

2. Zero-grade compounded suffixed form *ne-mi-s (see ne).

3. Suffixed zero-grade form *mi-nu-.

a. menu, mince, minuend, minuet, minute², minutia, comminute, diminish, from Latin minuere, to reduce, diminish;

b. minor, minus; minuscule, from Latin minor (influenced by the comparative suffix -or), less, lesser, smaller;

c. further suffixed (superlative) form *minu-mo-. minim, minimum, from Latin minimus, least;

d. minestrone, minister, ministry, mystery², from Latin minister, an inferior, servant (formed after magister, master; see meg-);

e. Menshevik, from Russian men'she, less.

 

[Pokorny 5. mei- 711.]

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