Hungarian Historical Phonology mese

mese 'Märchen, Fabel'

(der.) mesél '(Märchen) erzählen, fabulieren'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

[coming]

Important dialectal forms

mese 'Rätsel

Uralic/Ugric/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

(Disputed:)

UEW: *mańćɜ, maćɜ ‘tale; tell (tale, story); Märchen; erzählen‘

Status of the Ugric etymology

Improbable

Loan etymology

[coming]

Cognates suggested in earlier research

UEW:

Khanty: East (V) mańt́ 'Sage', mańt́ 'Märchen erzählen', South (DN) mońt́ 'Sage', mońt́ 'Märchen erzählen', North (O) maś 'Sage', maś 'Märchen erzählen'

Commentary

The etymology is completely irregular: Hungarian front-vowel e does not correspond regularly to the back-vowels of the Khanty words, and also UEW notes that the word-internal consonants cannot be regularly derived from one source. It is possible that the words are parallel loanwords from somewhere, but this requires further research.

UEW mentions the possible relationship to the ethnonym *mVńćV, another irregular Ugric etymology. This connection is problematic due to the two words showing different phonological developments; further research on this connection is needed.

Conclusion

Due to irregular phonological relations, the reconstruction of a Proto-Ugric form appears unlikely.

References

UEW s.v. mańćɜ, maćɜ: PUg Uralonet