meed

meed · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mey-“to exchange”
2. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*misdʰéh₂
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*mizdō“meed”
4. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*miʀdu
5. Old English · inherited frommēd
6. Middle English · inherited frommeede
7. English todaymeed

From Middle English meede, mede, from Old English mēd, meord, meard, meorþ (“meed, reward, pay, price, compensation, bribe”), from Proto-West Germanic *miʀdu, from Proto-Germanic *mizdō (“meed”), from Proto-Indo-European *misdʰéh₂, from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to exchange”). Cognate with obsolete Dutch miede (“wages”), Low German Meed (“rent”), German Miete (“rent”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌶𐌳𐍉 (mizdō, “meed, reward, payment, recompense”); further Ancient Greek μισθός (misthós, “wage”), Old Church Slavonic мьзда (mĭzda, “reward”), Sanskrit मीळ्ह (mīḷhá), Sanskrit मीढ (mīḍhá), Avestan 𐬨𐬍𐬲𐬛𐬀 (mīžda).

meed · verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*misdʰ-“to pay”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*mizdōną“to reward”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*miʀdōn
4. Old English · inherited from*mēdian“to reward, bribe”
5. Middle English · inherited frommeden
6. English todaymeed

From Middle English meden, from Old English *mēdian (“to reward, bribe”), from Proto-West Germanic *miʀdōn, from Proto-Germanic *mizdōną (“to reward”), from Proto-Indo-European *misdʰ- (“to pay”). Cognate with German Low German meden (“to hire, lease, rent”), German mieten (“to rent”).

Words from the same roots