The Loanword mei(j)u in Finnic Languages
The Loanword mei(j)u in Finnic Languages

Summary/Abstract: The custom of bringing home young birches and green branches for spring/summer festivities has been practised by Proto-Finnic as well as by Germanic peoples ever since pre-Christian times. Later the ancient custom was transferred to Christian festivals. In some Estonian and Finnish dialects and in the Livonian language such young birches and branches are referred to by a noun with the stem mei, while a verb with the same stem occurs more rarely. Some Finnic dialects have borrowed the originally Low German word via Swedish or Latvian mediators. The areal distribution and phonetic variants occurring in Estonian dialects are suggestive of influences from various directions. The origin of the Low German source word is, in turn, associated with the Latin name of the month maius. Bible translations have contributed to spreading the word in the sense of holiday birches and bouquets.

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