mezzisahs

Old High German

Alternative forms

• mezzeres, mezzirahs, mazsahs

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *matisahs (“food knife”). Equivalent to maz +‎ sahs.

The compound was obscured at an early time, within the Old High German period, which suggests frequent use. The original mezzisahs is first reduced to mazsahs. The form containing -r- then appears still in the Old High German period, as mezzirahs which via mezzarehs, mezziras, mezzeres becomes mezzer. Middle High German has mezzer virtually exclusively; but compare a 12th-century Rhenish mezsehs, whence r-less forms in contemporary Central Franconian (see Metz, Mäß).

Noun

mezzisahs n

1. knife

Descendants

• Middle High German: messer, mezzer
  • Bavarian: Messa

    Cimbrian: mèssar, mezzar (Luserna)

    Mòcheno: messer

  • German: Messer
  • Yiddish: מעסער (meser)