mæþ

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *māþi, from Proto-Germanic *mēþiz.

Noun

mǣþ f

1. measure, degree, proportion
2. measure or extent of power; ability, capacity, efficacy
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Basilius, Bishop"

     Bide nu æt gode þæt ic grecisc cunne. Þa cwæþ se biscop him to, þu bæde ofer mine mæðe ac uton swa þeah biddan þas bena æt gode.

     Pray now to God that I may know Greek. Pray now to God that I may know Greek. Then said the Bishop to him, 'Thou hast asked beyond my power, but let us, nevertheless, ask this boon of God.'

3. degree, rank, status, condition
4. due measure, right
5. due measure in regard to others; honour, respect

Declension

Strong ō-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	mǣþ	mǣþa, mǣþe
accusative	mǣþe	mǣþa, mǣþe
genitive	mǣþe	mǣþa
dative	mǣþe	mǣþum

Derived terms

• mǣþian (“to regard, respect”)
• mǣþlēas (“without moderation, greedy”)
• mǣþlīċ (“moderate”)
• mǣþlīċe (“courteously”)
• unmǣþ f (“transgression, wrongdoing”)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *mēþą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂meh₁-. Equivalent to māwan +‎ -þ.

Noun

mǣþ n

1. mowing, hay harvest

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	mǣþ	mǣþ
accusative	mǣþ	mǣþ
genitive	mǣþes	mǣþa
dative	mǣþe	mǣþum

Derived terms

• mǣþere m (“mower”)

Descendants

• Middle English: math
  • English: math, aftermath

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “mǣþ”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “mǣþ”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[2], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

• mz (abbreviation)
• mædh, maedh, maþ, mäd, mädhär, mät, mäder, mäþer, mädir, mädher, meþ, meþ, med, meder, medh, medher, meth, met

Adverb

mæþ

1. also, as well, too

Preposition

mæþ

1. with, including, by, at, in, to

Descendants

• Swedish: med

Further reading

• mäþ/ in Knut Fredrik Söderwall, Ordbok öfver svenska medeltids-språket