Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/mainijaną

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈmɑi̯.ni.jɑ.nɑ̃/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *moyn-éye-ti (“to intend, give opinion”), cognate with Proto-Slavic *měniti (“to think”) a causative formation to a root *meyn-. Cognate with Old Irish mían (“wish; desire”).^[1] Ultimately possibly from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to change, exchange”).

Verb

*mainijaną^[2]

to mean, think

Inflection

Conjugation of (weak class 1)
present tense	indicative	subjunctive	imperative	indicative	subjunctive
	active voice			passive voice
1st singular	*mainijō	*mainijaų	—	*mainijai	?
2nd singular	*mainīsi	*mainijais	*mainī	*mainijasai	*mainijaisau
3rd singular	*mainīþi	*mainijai	*mainijaþau	*mainijaþai	*mainijaiþau
1st dual	*mainijōs	*mainijaiw	—	—	—
2nd dual	*mainijaþiz	*mainijaiþiz	*mainijaþiz	—	—
1st plural	*mainijamaz	*mainijaim	—	*mainijanþai	*mainijainþau
2nd plural	*mainīþ	*mainijaiþ	*mainīþ	*mainijanþai	*mainijainþau
3rd plural	*mainijanþi	*mainijain	*mainijanþau	*mainijanþai	*mainijainþau

past tense	indicative	subjunctive
1st singular	*mainidǭ	*mainidēdį̄
2nd singular	*mainidēz	*mainidēdīz
3rd singular	*mainidē	*mainidēdī
1st dual	*mainidēdū	*mainidēdīw
2nd dual	*mainidēdudiz	*mainidēdīdiz
1st plural	*mainidēdum	*mainidēdīm
2nd plural	*mainidēdud	*mainidēdīd
3rd plural	*mainidēdun	*mainidēdīn

	present	past
participles	*mainijandz	*mainidaz

Related terms

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *mainijan
- Old English: mǣnan
  - Middle English: menen
    - Scots: mene, mein
    - English: mean
- Old Frisian: mēna
  - Saterland Frisian: meene
  - West Frisian: miene
- Old Saxon: mēnian
  - Middle Low German: mênen, meinen
    - German Low German: menen
    - → Old Norse: meina
      - Icelandic: meina
      - Faroese: meina
      - Norwegian Nynorsk: meina
        → Norwegian Bokmål: meine
      - Danish: mene
        Norwegian Bokmål: mene
      - Swedish: mena
      - Gutnish: maine
- Old Dutch: mēnen
  - Middle Dutch: mênen
    - Dutch: menen
      - Afrikaans: meen
    - Limburgish: meine
- Old High German: meinen
  - Middle High German: meinen
    - German: meinen
    - Hunsrik: menne
    - Yiddish: מיינען (meynen)
→ Proto-Finnic: *mainit'ak (see there for further descendants)

Etymology 2

Likely from *mainaz (“damaging, untrue, deceiving”) +‎ *-janą or *mainą (“damage, unjustice”) +‎ *-janą.^[3]

Verb

*mainijaną^[3]

to demean
to defile

Inflection

Conjugation of (weak class 1)
present tense	indicative	subjunctive	imperative	indicative	subjunctive
	active voice			passive voice
1st singular	*mainijō	*mainijaų	—	*mainijai	?
2nd singular	*mainīsi	*mainijais	*mainī	*mainijasai	*mainijaisau
3rd singular	*mainīþi	*mainijai	*mainijaþau	*mainijaþai	*mainijaiþau
1st dual	*mainijōs	*mainijaiw	—	—	—
2nd dual	*mainijaþiz	*mainijaiþiz	*mainijaþiz	—	—
1st plural	*mainijamaz	*mainijaim	—	*mainijanþai	*mainijainþau
2nd plural	*mainīþ	*mainijaiþ	*mainīþ	*mainijanþai	*mainijainþau
3rd plural	*mainijanþi	*mainijain	*mainijanþau	*mainijanþai	*mainijainþau

past tense	indicative	subjunctive
1st singular	*mainidǭ	*mainidēdį̄
2nd singular	*mainidēz	*mainidēdīz
3rd singular	*mainidē	*mainidēdī
1st dual	*mainidēdū	*mainidēdīw
2nd dual	*mainidēdudiz	*mainidēdīdiz
1st plural	*mainidēdum	*mainidēdīm
2nd plural	*mainidēdud	*mainidēdīd
3rd plural	*mainidēdun	*mainidēdīn

	present	past
participles	*mainijandz	*mainidaz

Descendants

⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *framainijan
- Old Dutch: *farmēnen
  - Middle Dutch: vermênen
- Old High German: firmeinen
  - Middle High German: vermeinen
    - German: vermeinen (“schlecht machen”) (obsolete)
Old Norse: meina
- Icelandic: meina
- Faroese: meina
- Norwegian Nynorsk: meina, meine
- Old Swedish: mēna
  - Swedish: mena, förmena
⇒ Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gamainjan)

References

^ Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*mainjan-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 348
^ Vladimir Orel (2003) “*mainjanan II”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 255
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*mainjanan I”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[3], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 255

[1] Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*mainjan-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 348

[2] Vladimir Orel (2003) “*mainjanan II”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 255

[HGE2-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*mainjanan I”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[3], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 255

[1]

[2]

[3]