Where does “māt” come from?
māt (Middle High German) comes from Old High German *mād, from Proto-Germanic mēþą, from Proto-Indo-European h₂meh₁- — to mow, reap.
Ancestry of “māt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | *mād | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | mēþą | a mowing |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂meh₁- | to mow, reap |