𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌸

Gothic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *mili, from Proto-Indo-European *mélit. Cognate to and translation of Koine Greek μέλι (méli).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmi.liθ/

Noun

𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌸 • (miliþ) n

2. (hapax) honey (sweet substance produced by bees)
   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Mark (Codex Argenteus) 1.6:

     𐍅𐌰𐍃𐌿𐌸~𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐌹𐍉𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌴𐍃 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌸𐍃 𐍄𐌰𐌲𐌻𐌰𐌼 𐌿𐌻𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌿𐍃 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌳𐌰 𐍆𐌹𐌻𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰 𐌱𐌹 𐌷𐌿𐍀 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌼𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌳𐌰 𐌸𐍂𐌰𐌼𐍃𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌸 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌸𐌹𐍅𐌹𐍃𐌺.

     wasuþ~þan iōhannēs gawasiþs taglam ulbandaus jah gairda filleina bi hup seinana jah matida þramsteins jah miliþ haiþiwisk.

     And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; (KJV)

Declension

This word is only attested in the accusative singular, in which the final-obstruent devoicing obscures the radical consonant, which may have been either 𐌳 (d) or 𐌸 (þ). The other Indo-European languages, however, indicate a radical 𐌳 (d), as shown below.

Neuter a-stem
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌸 miliþ	—
Vocative	𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌸 miliþ	—
Accusative	𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌸 miliþ	—
Genitive	𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌳𐌹𐍃 milidis	—
Dative	𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌳𐌰 milida	—

Hypernyms

• 𐌼𐌰𐍄𐍃 (mats, “food”)

Coordinate terms

• 𐍃𐌹𐌽𐌰𐍀𐌹𐍃 (sināpis, “mustard”)
• 𐌰𐍂𐍉𐌼𐌰𐍄𐌰 (arōmata, “sweet spices”)

Further reading

• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) “M65. miliþ”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 255–256
• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 95