Reconstruction:Proto-Uralic/mëxe

This Proto-Uralic 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-Uralic

Etymology

An etymology that has not received wide acceptance is put forth by Koivulehto (2009) that the word is possibly an old loanword from an Indo-Iranian language, from Proto-Indo-European *meǵh₂s (“big, great”) (presumably in the sense of “greatness, expanse”) (compare specifically Sanskrit मही (mahī́, “earth”), Proto-Celtic *magos (“plain, field”)). This etymology is rejected by Holopainen (2019).

Noun

*mëxe

1. earth, land

   Synonym: *muďa

Descendants

• Samoyedic:
  • Nganasan: моу
  • Selkup:
    • Northern Selkup: -мо (-mo) in минырмо̄ (minyrmō)
    • Southern Selkup:
      • Narym: -мо in ӱ̄дэрмо
      • Upper Ob: -ма in карама
• Ugric:
  • ? Khanty: *meɣ
    • Eastern Khanty: мәг (məg)
    • Northern Khanty: мўв (mŭw), мув (muw)
  • Mansi: *mëë
    • Northern Mansi: ма̄ (mā)
    • Southern Mansi: (mɛ̮̄)
    • Eastern Mansi: мы (my)
• Proto-Permic: *mu (see there for further descendants)
• Mari:
  • ⇒ Eastern Mari: мла́нде (mlánde), мӱнӧ (münö, “down, below”)
  • ⇒ Western Mari: мӱланды (mülandy)
• Mordvin:
  • Erzya: ма- (ma-) in мастор (mastor)
  • Moksha: ма- (ma-) in мастор (mastor)
• Proto-Finnic: *maa (see there for further descendants)

References

• Häkkinen, Kaisa (2004) Nykysuomen etymologinen sanakirja [Modern Finnish Etymological Dictionary] (in Finnish), Juva: WSOY, →ISBN
• Itkonen, Erkki, Kulonen, Ulla-Maija, editors (1992–2000), Suomen sanojen alkuperä [The origin of Finnish words]‎ (in Finnish) (online version; note: also includes other etymological sources), Helsinki: Institute for the Languages of Finland/Finnish Literature Society, →ISBN

External links

• Entry #518 in Uralonet, online Uralic etymological database of the Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics.