MEAD  . (I) A word now only used more or less poetically for the commoner

form " meadow," properly land laid down for grass and cut for hay, but often extended in meaning to include pasture-land . " Meadow " represents the oblique case, maedwe, of O . Eng. maid, which comes from the root seen in " mow "; the wind, therefore, means " mowed land." Cognate words appear in other Teutonic languages, a familiar instance being Ger. matt, seen in place-names such as Zermatt, Andermatt, &c . (See GRASS.) (2) The name of a drink made by the fermentation of honey mixed with water . Alcoholic drinks made from honey were common in ancient times, and during the middle ages throughout Europe . The Greeks and Romans knew of such under the names of 66p6 isXi and hydromel; mulsum was a form of mead with the addition of wine . The word is common to Teutonic languages (cf . Du. mede, Ger . Met or Meth), and is cognate with Gr . Ov, wine, and Sansk. mddhu, sweet drink . " Metheglin," another word for mead, properly a medicated or spiced form of the drink, is an adaptation of the Welsh meddyglyn, which is derived from meddyg, healing (Lat. medicus) and llyn, liquor .