Where does “mead” come from?

Mead derives from Old English mǣd, from Proto-Germanic mēdwō, from Proto-Indo-European roots h₂meh₁- and médʰu combined with dʰeh₁-, ultimately relating to honey and the process of making.

mead (English): An alcoholic drink fermented from honey and...

Definitions

  1. An alcoholic drink fermented from honey and...

Ancestry of “mead”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmedereward, meed, recompense
2Old Englishmǣdmead, meadow, pasture
3Proto-West Germanic*mādumeadow, clearing
4Proto-Germanicmēdwōmeadow
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂meh₁-to mow, reap

Words derived from “mead”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂meh₁- →