μάτη

According to Beekes, there is no convincing etymology, partly due to the difficulty of ascertaining the word's original meaning (which was likely not "fault"). Some theories:^[1]

• Related to Proto-Slavic *matati (“to reel, lure”), whence Polish matać (“to spool; to swindle, lie, deceive”) and Serbo-Croatian matati (“to allure, attract”). Beekes rejects this theory, perhaps due to the tenuous semantics.
• Per Meier-Brugger, from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to have in mind”), with negative connotations. This is neither semantically convincing nor unconvincing, though the supposed dropping of the nasal *n plus general formation would have to be explained.
• Per Furnee, probably from a substrate (Pre-Greek), due to the semantic category of "stupid foolish".

μᾰ́τη • (mátē) f (genitive μᾰ́της); first declension

1. folly, fault

• “μάτη”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μάτη”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• μάτη in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette

From Doric Greek μᾱ́τηρ (mā́tēr), from Proto-Hellenic *mā́tēr, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr. Cognate with Standard Greek μητέρα (mitéra).

• IPA^(key): /ˈmati/

μάτη (máti) f (plural ματέρε (matére))

1. mother