Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/mēnos

This Proto-Celtic 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-Celtic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *meyh₁- (“mild, soft”), whence also Latin mītis, Lithuanian meilė, and Sanskrit मयस् (mayas). See also Proto-Celtic *mīnis from the same root, but with different root ablaut and suffixation.

Adjective

*mēnos

1. tender, soft, gentle

Inflection

O/ā-stem
masculine	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mēnos	*mēnou	*mēnoi
vocative	*mēne	*mēnou	*mēnoi
accusative	*mēnom	*mēnou	*mēnoms
genitive	*mēnī	*mēnous	*mēnom
dative	*mēnūi	*mēnobom	*mēnobos
instrumental	*mēnū	*mēnobim	*mēnobis
feminine	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mēnā	*mēnai	*mēnās
vocative	*mēnā	*mēnai	*mēnās
accusative	*mēnam	*mēnai	*mēnams
genitive	*mēnās	*mēnous	*mēnom
dative	*mēnai	*mēnābom	*mēnābos
instrumental	*?	*mēnābim	*mēnābis
neuter	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*mēnom	*mēnou	*mēnā
vocative	*mēnom	*mēnou	*mēnā
accusative	*mēnom	*mēnou	*mēnā
genitive	*mēnī	*mēnous	*mēnom
dative	*mēnūi	*mēnobom	*mēnobos
instrumental	*mēnū	*mēnobim	*mēnobis

Reconstruction notes

Matasović's assignment of this word's Brittonic descendants to *moinis (“benefit, treasure”), requiring him to presume a difficult semantic evolution "treasure" > "beautiful" > "gracile, thin", is simply erroneous for semantic reasons.

Related terms

• *mīnis

Descendants

• Proto-Brythonic: *muɨn (“mild, gentle”)
  • Old Breton: moin (“delicate”)
    • Middle Breton: moen (“thin”)
      • Breton: moan
  • Old Cornish: muin (“gracile”)
  • Middle Welsh: mwyn
    • Welsh: mwyn (“mild, gentle”)
• Gaulish: *mēnos
  • ⇒ Gaulish: Menos, Mena
  • →⇒ Latin: Menilus
  • →⇒ Latin: Meniō
  • →⇒ Latin: Dacumēna
  • →⇒ Latin: Sumēna
    • French: Sumène
    • Occitan: Sumena