meat

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*meh₂d-
2. Proto-Germanic*matiz
3. Proto-West Germanic*mati
4. Old Englishmete
5. Middle Englishmete
6. English todaymeat

Inherited from Middle English mete (“food”), from Old English mete (“food”), from Proto-West Germanic *mati (“food”), from Proto-Germanic *matiz (“food”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂d- (“to be wet; grease, fat”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian Miit (“meat”), Danish mad (“food”), Faroese and Icelandic matur (“food, meal”), Norn mader (“food”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish mat (“food”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐍄𐍃 (mats, “food”). A -ja- derivation from the same base is found in Middle Dutch and Middle Low German met (“lean pork”), from which Dutch met (“minced pork”) and German Mett (“minced meat”) derive, respectively. Compare also Old Irish mess (“animal feed”) and Welsh mes (“acorns”), English mast (“fodder for swine and other animals”), which are probably from the same root.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 14th c. The flesh (muscle tissue) of a killed animal used as food.
• from 16th c. A type of meat, by anatomic position and provenance.
• from 8th c. Food, for animals or humans, especially solid food.
• from 9th c. A type of food, a dish.
• from 9th c. A meal.
• from 15th c. Any relatively thick, solid part of a fruit, nut etc.
• from 16th c. A penis.
• from 16th c. The best or most substantial part of something.