Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “meat” come from?

Meat comes from Middle English mete, from Old English mete, from Latin meta, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European meh₂d-.

meat (English): The flesh of an animal used as food; A type of...

Definitions

  1. The flesh of an animal used as food; A type of...

Ancestry of “meat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishmeteFood, nourishment or comestibles; that which is...
2Middle Englishbake meteAny kind of cooked food which has a pastry...
3Middle EnglishbakenTo bake; to cook in an oven; usually used of...
4Old Englishbacanto bake
5Proto-West Germanicbakanto bake
6Proto-Germanicbakanąto bake
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeh₃g-to bake, to roast, to fry

Words derived from “meat”

  • meaty
  • meatpacking
  • sweetmeat
  • meatloaf
  • forcemeat
  • meatball
  • horsemeat
  • meated
  • nonmeat
  • meatpacker
  • nutmeat
  • meatiness
  • meatworks
  • pigmeat
  • meatspace
  • meatlike
  • whalemeat
  • meatgrinder
  • sheepmeat
  • sidemeat
  • meatily
  • spoonmeat
  • meatman
  • sweatmeat
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₃g- →