Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/medos

This Proto-Italic 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-Italic

Etymology

    From Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to measure”) suffixed with the neuter noun-forming suffix *-os.[1]

    Noun

    *medos n

    1. measure
    2. judgement

    Usage notes

    Two means of accounting for the appearance of Latin modus in the second declension exist.[2]

    • The e-grade s-stem noun may have coexisted with an o-grade *-os noun *modos. In Latin, the o-grade noun borne out by modus ousted the s-stem noun, and the vocalism of all surviving derivatives of the s-stem noun was adjusted to match that of modus.
    • Schrijver alternatively posits that *medos, an original s-stem would simply turn to *modos via a sound law on the way to Latin, and the second declension would have been acquired secondarily.

    Declension

    Declension of *medos (consonant stem)
    singular plural
    nominative *medos *medesā
    vocative *medos *medesā
    accusative *medos *medesā
    genitive *medeses, medesos *medesom
    dative *medesei *medesβos
    ablative *medesi? medese? *medesβos
    locative *medesi? medese? *medesβos

    Derived terms

    • *medestos
    • *medes-wos
      • Umbrian: 𐌌𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖𐌔 (mersus, nom. sg. m.), 𐌌𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖𐌅𐌀 (mersuva, abl. sg. f, acc. pl. n.)
    • *medes-āō (denominative verb)

    Descendants

    • Latin: modus (either secondarily transferred to the second declension or conflated with a co-existing second-declension noun)
    • Umbrian: 𐌌𐌄𐌛𐌔 (meřs), mers

    References

    1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “modus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 384-5
    2. ^ Schrijver, Peter C. H. (1991) The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Latin (Leiden studies in Indo-European; 2), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 470
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