Mete
/miːt/noun
To distribute or allot something, especially in a measured or careful way.
Did you know?In older English, the related noun *metting* and the verb *mete* were used in legal and poetic contexts for measuring out land, goods, and even punishment with almost ritual precision.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*med-
“to measure; to take appropriate measure”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*maitaną
“to measure, allot”
Old English
OE
mǣtan
“to measure out, apportion”
Middle English
ME
meten
“to measure, divide, assign”
Modern English
English
mete
“to distribute or allot in measured portions”