めく

Japanese

Etymology

Ultimate derivation unknown. Possibly related to suffix む (-mu, “to seem like, to look like, to behave like”) and derivative める (-meru, “to make something seem like, look like, behave like”); compare also 目 (me, “eye”).

The suffix is first attested in the Tosa Nikki of 935.[1] Use as a standalone verb appears much later in works from the early 1800s.[1]

Etymological theories

Some etymological theories were proposed by some sources:[1]

  • The Wa-kun no Shiyori and Daigenkai derive this from 見来 (mie-ku, literally “to come seen”).
  • The Myōgoki derives this from a shift of miekeku, miekemu, or misekemu, without any further context.
  • The Wa-kun no Shiyori derives this from 向く (muku, “to face”).
  • The Meigentsū derives this from 見る (miru, “to see”).

Suffix

めく • (-meku) godan (stem めき (-meki), past めいた (-meita))

  1. [from 935] to show signs of, to have the appearance of, to look like, to seem like

Inflection
Conjugation of "めく" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective") めか meka
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") めき meki
Shūshikei ("terminal") めく meku
Rentaikei ("attributive") めく meku
Kateikei ("hypothetical") めけ meke
Meireikei ("imperative") めけ meke
Key constructions
Passive めかれる mekareru
Causative めかせる
めかす		 mekaseru
mekasu
Potential めける mekeru
Volitional めこう mekō
Negative めかない mekanai
Negative continuative めかず mekazu
Formal めきます mekimasu
Perfective めいた meita
Conjunctive めいて meite
Hypothetical conditional めけば mekeba

Derived terms
Derived terms

Verb

めく • (meku) intransitive godan (stem めき (meki), past めいた (meita))

  1. [early 1800s–???] (archaic, possibly obsolete) to look like something

Inflection
Conjugation of "めく" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective") めか meka
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") めき meki
Shūshikei ("terminal") めく meku
Rentaikei ("attributive") めく meku
Kateikei ("hypothetical") めけ meke
Meireikei ("imperative") めけ meke
Key constructions
Passive めかれる mekareru
Causative めかせる
めかす		 mekaseru
mekasu
Potential めける mekeru
Volitional めこう mekō
Negative めかない mekanai
Negative continuative めかず mekazu
Formal めきます mekimasu
Perfective めいた meita
Conjunctive めいて meite
Hypothetical conditional めけば mekeba

References
  1. “めく”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”) Paid subscription required‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here (Note: Dialectal meanings, etymological theories, pronunciation including modern, dialectal, and historical information, Jōdai Tokushu Kanazukai, historical dictionaries containing this word, and the kanji spellings in those dictionaries have been omitted.)
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