Reconstruction:Latin/melem

This Latin 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.

Latin

Etymology

From Classical mel n, with a paragogic /-e/ and change in gender. Compare *corem (“heart”), *felem (“bile”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛle/

Noun

*melem m or f (Proto-Romance)

1. honey

Reconstruction notes

Nominative */ˈmɛles/ > Old French li miels, Old Occitan lo mels.

Declension

	singular	plural
nominative	*/ˈmɛles/	—
accusative	*/ˈmɛle/	—
genitive-dative	*/ˈmɛli/	—

Descendants

• Balkan Romance: f
  • Aromanian: njari
  • Istro-Romanian: mľåre
  • Megleno-Romanian: m'ari
  • Romanian: miere
• Dalmatian:
  • mil m
• Italo-Romance: m
  • Corsican: mele
  • Italian: miele
  • Neapolitan: mele
  • Sicilian: meli
• Insular Romance: m
  • Sardinian: mele, meli (Campidanese)
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: mîl f
  • Istriot: mel m
  • Ladin: mil f
  • Romansch: mel, mèl (Sursilvan), meal (Sutsilvan), mêl (Surmiran) m
• Venetan:
  • Venetan: miel m
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Gallo-Italic:
    • Ligurian: mê, amê m or f
    • Lombard: mel, mil m or f
    • Old Piedmontese: miél, miéu f
      • Piedmontese: mel, me f
  • Catalan: mel f
  • Old French: miel m
    • French: miel
    • Norman: myi
  • Occitan: mèl m or f
    • Gascon: mèu m or f
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: miel f
  • Asturian: miel m or f
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: mel m
    • Galician: mel
    • Portuguese: mel
  • Spanish: miel f
    • →? Samoan: meli

References

• AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 1159: “il miele” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it
• Buchi, Éva, Schweickard, Wolfgang (2008–) “*/ˈmɛl-e/”, in Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman, Nancy: Analyse et Traitement Informatique de la Langue Française.