From: tgpedersen
Message: 48818
Date: 2007-05-31
> Benveniste notes that the denominative verb is originally used asCf.
> mactare deum extis, ie exalt the god by means of sacrifices. Noting
> that the two non-derivative forms of the word that are known are
> mactus and macte, I propose that the Germanic preterito-presentic
> modal verb Germ mag, mochte is from *(mi-k) mak, *(mi-s?) mak-to,
> lit. me a blessing(permission), (to-)me a blessing(permission)-
> there-was. Further, I suspect the same is the case for all
> preterito-presentic Germanic verbs: the present is a noun (or
> adjective inflected for person), the preterite is a t-adjective
> (t-adjectives are not essentially ppp's, they just work there). Eg
> shall/soll etc with only nominal IE cognates and a proposed Vasconic
> cognate (Vennemann: Solduri "sworn brotherhood among the Aquitani"),
> eg. *(mi-k) skol, (mi-s sk.l-tó, lit. (me) debt/guilt, (to-me)
> debt/guilt-there-was.
>
> So, Latin mac-te is "a blessing(permission-to-go-ahead) has happened
> (to you)". The esto of macte esto marks a step on the way from macte >
> macte est > mactus est, the latter being a normal 3sg perf pass of a
> verb *mac- if such a verb had existed.
>
> Hope I'm making somewhat sense.
>