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.

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”)^[1] (compare specifically Sanskrit मही (mahī́, “earth”), Proto-Celtic *magos (“plain, field”)). This etymology is rejected by Holopainen (2019).^[2]

*mëxe

1. earth, land

   Synonym: *muďa

• Samoyedic:
  • Nganasan: моу (mou)
  • Selkup:
    • Northern Selkup: -мо (-mo) in минырмо̄ (minyrmō)
    • Southern Selkup:
      • Narym: -мо (-mo) in ӱ̄дэрмо (ǖdermo)
      • Upper Ob: -ма (-ma) in карама (karama)
• 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)
• Proto-Mordvinic: *ma-, *-ma(s) (“land”)
  • Erzya: ма- (ma-) in мастор (mastor)
  • Moksha: ма- (ma-) in мастор (mastor)
• Proto-Finnic: *maa (see there for further descendants)

• 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; this source is labeled "SSA 1992–2000"), Helsinki: Institute for the Languages of Finland/Finnish Literature Society, →ISBN

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