*mēkijaz

Of unclear origin.

"To cut" hypotheses reconstruct Proto-Indo-European *mēǵeyos (‘cutter, sword’), from some root as *(s)meh₂- (‘to beckon’) (> *meh₂y- > *meyh₂ > *mē(h₂)- > *mēǵ-), *(s)meh₁- (‘to cut’), *(s)mēy(H)- (‘to cut, hew’) and such. However, none of these are standard sound changes in the development of Proto-Germanic, and as such cannot be taken seriously as historical developments in the history of this word; contravention of the standard pillar of historical linguistics — the exceptionlessness of sound change — should only be done as a last resort.

Orel prefers taking the Germanic as a borrowing from some North Caucasian language, as represented by Proto-Northeast Caucasian *miqᶜV (‘chisel, hoe, knife’), whence Avar *maqᶜala. See the potentially-related Proto-Slavic *mèčь (‘sword’) for more theories.

Some reconstruct *mēǵ/g-yos and connect it with Proto-Germanic *mekaną (‘to support’) as "secondary functional o-grade".[²]