Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/maiz

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

Related to *maizô (“more”); see there for cognates.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mɑi̯z/

Adverb

*maiz (adjective *maizô, superlative *maist)

  1. more, to a greater degree

Usage notes

This word is not directly the comparative of any other term. Instead, various adverbial formations are used to express the positive degree.

Derived terms

Final *-z was regularly lost in monosyllables in the northern West Germanic languages, so that forms without final -r are found in these languages. However, it was generally restored later by analogy with the adjective *maizô, which had retained it.

  • Old English: mā, mǣ
    • Middle English: ma, mo
  • Old Frisian: mā, mē, mār, mēr
    • North Frisian: mor
    • Saterland Frisian: moor
    • West Frisian: mear
  • Old Saxon: mēr
    • Middle Low German: mêr
      • German Low German: mehr
  • Old Dutch: *mē, mēr
  • Old High German: mē, mēr
    • Middle High German: mē, mēr
      • German: mehr (< mēr)
      • Yiddish: מער (mer) (< mēr)
      • Luxembourgish: méi (< mē)
      • Central Franconian: mieh (< mē)
  • Old Norse: meir
  • Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐍃 (mais)

References

  1. ^ Vladimir Orel (2003) “*maiz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 257
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