explanation of its being uninflected is its deponent form. In com- pounds it was regularized, and C.'s hebaf is deduced from these.
iv. The verb amkawS ' answered ' is a survival which occurs frequently in the W.M. Kulhwch, and nowhere else ; the 3rd pi. is amkeubant W.M. 486, -8, which the scribe at first wrote amkeua6t do. 473, -7, -8, -9, mistaking n for u and writing it 6.
amk-awS, 96 iii (4); if the explanation there given is correct, amkeuSant is a re-formation, possibly at first *amkeuSynt with affec- tion of aw as in beunydd 220 iv (2).
§ 199. i (1) meddaf ' I say ' is inflected fully in the pres. and impf. ind. only : 3rd sg. pres. medd, impers. meddir 'it is said '. There is no v.n.
Exx. i. Me8 seint Awstin IL.A. 42 'St. Augustine says'; 2. me8 yr ystoria do. 129 ' says the account ' ; 3. Dioer, heb y kennadeu, Teg, me8 Pryderi oe8 y'r gwr . . . W.M. 88 ' " By Heaven," said the messengers, " Pryderi says it would be fair for the man ...'"; 4. Edyrn vab Nu8 yw, meS ef; nyt atwen inheu e/B.M. 259 ' He says he is Edyrn son of Nudd ; but I don't know him '55. Blawt, meBei y GwySel W.M. 54 ' " Flour," said the Irishman ' ; 6. Broch, rneSynt wynteu do. 24 ' " A badger," said they'.
Mn. W. : meddaf I.F. I.MSS. 319, Col. i 20; meddi loan viii 52 ; medd M.K. [20]; meddant 2 Cor. x 10.
(2) In the recent period medd has tended to take the place of eb, and has almost ousted it in the dialects. But in Ml. W. the two are distinct : heb is used in reporting a conversation, and is therefore of extreme frequency in tales ; me8 is used in citing authors, as in exx. i., 2., or in quoting an expression of opinion as in ex. 3., or an answer not necessarily true, as in exx. 4., 5., 6. Hence we may infer that me8 originally meant 'judges, thinks ', and is the original verb corresponding to me&wl ' thought ' : Ir. midiur ' I judge, think ', Lat. meditor, Vmed-, allied to Vine- ' measure '. To express ' think ' a new verb meSylyaf, a denom. from mebwl, was formed, 201 iii (6).
(3) The verb meddaf ' I possess ' is however conjugated regu- larly throughout : 3rd sg. pres. ind. medd, 3rd sg. aor. meddodd W.1L. C.IL. 105, v.n. meddu.
This verb is unconnected with the above, and probably comes from /med- ' enjoy ' : Skr. mddati ' rejoices ' (from the sense of ' refreshing ' comes ' healing ' in Lat. medeor, medicus). W. meddaf is often intrans., followed byar; meddu ar 'to rejoice in, be possessed of. A common saying is Mae hwn yn well i feddu arno ( this is better to give satisfaction ', lit. ' to have satisfaction on it '.
