Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/magus

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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

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Etymology

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Cognate with the formally identical Proto-Germanic *maguz (boy; servant), apparently via Proto-Indo-European *mogʰus (young person; boy-servant?). Compare also Avestan 𐬨𐬀𐬖𐬀𐬬𐬀 (maγava, unmarried).

Matasović, reconstructing *mogus instead of the *magus reconstructed by everyone else, finds himself unable to explain to the /a/-vocalism of Gaulish Magu-.[1]

Noun

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*magus m[1]

  1. (male) servant
  2. (male) youth, boy

Declension

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Masculine/feminine u-stem
singular dual plural
nominative *mogus *mogū *mogowes
vocative *mogu *mogū *mogūs
accusative *mogum *mogū *mogums
genitive *mogous *mogous *mogowom
dative *mogou *mogubom *mogubos
locative *? *? *?
instrumental *mogū *mogubim *mogubis

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Proto-Brythonic: *maw
    • Old Breton: mauu (youth; servant)
      • Middle Breton: mau
        • Breton: maw (boy)
    • Old Cornish:
    • Middle Welsh: meu-dwy (servant of God; hermit)
  • Gaulish: *magus
  • Old Irish: mug (male servant, serf, bondman)

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*mogu-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 274