mead

Meaning

1. (uncountable, usually) An alcoholic drink fermented from honey and water.
2. (US, uncountable, usually) A drink composed of syrup of sarsaparilla or other flavouring extract, and water, and sometimes charged with carbon dioxide.

Synonyms

meadow

honey beer

hayfield

hydromel

lea

metheglin

pasturage

pasture

prairie

sima

dandelion wine

field

honey wine

grassland

Translations

hydromel

Met

aguamiel

idromele

mede

hidromel

aiguamel

υδρόμελι

hidromiel

hidromel

Honigwein

mee

hydromeli

Pronounced as (IPA)

/miːd/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: mede

Inherited from Old English: medu

Cognate with Ancient Greek: μέθυ

Cognate with Lithuanian: medùs

Cognate with Church Slavic: медъ

Cognate with Persian: می

Cognate with Sanskrit: मधु

Cognate with Welsh: medd

Cognate with Finnish: mesi

Cognate with Chinese: 蜜

Inherited from Old English: mǣd

Cognate with Western Frisian: miede

Cognate with Dutch: made

In summary

From Middle English mede, from Old English medu, from Proto-West Germanic *medu, from Proto-Germanic *meduz, from Proto-Indo-European *médʰu (“honey; honey wine”).
Cognate with Ancient Greek μέθυ (méthu) (whence English methyl), Lithuanian medùs, Old Church Slavonic медъ (medŭ, “honey”), Persian می (mey), Sanskrit मधु (mádhu), Welsh medd, Finnish mesi, Chinese 蜜 (mì).