Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/maþô

This Proto-Germanic 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-Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *mat-ḗn ~ *mat-nés, from *mat- (“insect, worm, maggot”), possibly borrowed from a substrate language. Compare Proto-Slavic *motyľь (“butterfly”),[1] Sanskrit मत्कुण (matkuṇa, “bug”). Possibly also related to Proto-Finnic *mato (“worm”) (akin to Proto-Samic *muocē), in which case it would be a borrowing in either direction (although seeing as the Finnic term has a convincing Indo-Iranian etymology, a borrowing from Finnic into Germanic appears more likely).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈmɑ.θɔːː/

Noun

*maþô m[1][2]

  1. maggot, worm
    Synonym: *wurmiz
  2. moth

Inflection

Kroonen states that this term is an amphikinetically inflecting an-stem with Kluge's Law consonant alternations.

Declension of *maþô (masculine an-stem)
singular plural
nominative *maþô *maþaniz
vocative *maþô *maþaniz
accusative *maþanų *muttunz
genitive *muttaz *muttǫ̂
dative *madini *madummaz
instrumental *muttē *madummiz

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Proto-West Germanic: *maþō (“worm”)
    • Old English: maþa
    • Old Saxon: matho
      • Middle Low German: made
    • Old Dutch: *matho
    • Old High German: mado
  • Proto-West Germanic: *moþþā (“moth”)
  • Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐌸𐌰 (maþa, “maggot”)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013), “*maþan-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 358
  2. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2011), The Proto-Germanic n-stems: A study in diachronic morphophonology, Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, pages 218-219
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