Where does “mete” come from?
Mete comes from Middle English meten, from Latin meta meaning "boundary" or "turning point," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm meaning "together" and med- meaning "to measure."
mete (English): To dispense, measure in order to dispense, allot (especially punishment, reward etc.)
Definitions
- To dispense, measure in order to dispense, allot (especially punishment, reward etc.)
Ancestry of “mete”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mete | Food, nourishment or comestibles; that which is... |
| 2 | Middle English | bake mete | Any kind of cooked food which has a pastry... |
| 3 | Middle English | baken | To bake; to cook in an oven; usually used of... |
| 4 | Old English | bacan | to bake |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | bakan | to bake |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bakaną | to bake |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₃g- | to bake, to roast, to fry |