Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/mātīr

This Proto-Celtic 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-Celtic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr.

Noun

*mātīr f

mother

Declension

Masculine/feminine r-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mātīr	*mātere	*māteres
vocative	*māter	*mātere	*māteres
accusative	*māteram	*mātere	*māterans
genitive	*mātros	*mātrous	*mātrom
dative	*mātrei	*mātarbom	*mātarbos
locative	*mātri	*?	*?
instrumental	*mātrei	*mātarbim	*mātarbis

Derived terms

*Mātronā
⇒ Proto-Celtic: *mātrikʷā (“maternal aunt”) or, alternatively, *mātrokʷī
- Proto-Brythonic: *mọdreb
  - Old Cornish: modereb
    - Cornish: modrep
  - Old Breton: motrep
    - Middle Breton: mozreb
      - Breton: moereb
  - Old Welsh: modreped (plural)
    - Middle Welsh: modryb
      - Welsh: modryb

Descendants

Brythonic:
- Welsh: modrydaf (“queen bee”) (from *modr + bydaf (“beehive”))
Old Irish: máthir
- Irish: máthair
- Manx: moir
- Scottish Gaelic: màthair
Celtiberian: matrubos (dative plural)
Gaulish: matir

References

Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 260