Etymology

From Old Norse mjǫðr, from Proto-Germanic *meduz, from Proto-Indo-European *médʰu ‎(“sweet drink”).

Germanic cognates: Old Frisian mede, Middle Low German mēde, Dutch mede, Old High German meto (German Met) and Old English medu (whence mead).

Indo-European cognates: Sanskrit मधु ‎(madhu), Ancient Greek μέθυ ‎(méthu, “wine”), Latin medus, Old Irish mid, Welsh medd ‎(“mead”), Old Church Slavonic медъ ‎(medŭ, “honey”), Ukrainian мед ‎(med, “honey”), Russian мёд ‎(mjod, “honey, mead”), Lithuanian medùs ‎(“honey”), Tocharian B mīt.

Compare also Finnish and Estonian mesi and the Hungarian méz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mjœːðʏr]

  Rhymes: -œːðʏr