Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Robin
What fascinates me about honey is how OLD names for it are in many IE languages: English "mead" and Hindi's "madhu" (as in "madhumakki" - honey fly, bee) still showing their PIE roots loud and proud, millennia later
|
Many old Irish / Celtic words and Hindi have common roots. Even names such as Síle (pronounced and transliterated as Sheila and variations from Irish)
Meall is old Irish for "of honey", the Fabled Celtic Otherworld of Magh Meall is Plain of Honey, though in modern Irish the prefix Moy- in a place name means plain. Modern Irish for honey is mil.
honey sauce: anlann meala
a jar of honey: próca meala [OR] crúsca meala
Irish words modify in the genative or related cases. Thus "of honey" now = meala [or] mheala
a spoon of honey: spúnóg mheala [Literally a small spoon as óg (óige) means lesser, young, youth or little depending on context.] [OR] lán spúnóige de mhil
An h added after the first letter can mean "of".