Meitheamh (Irish)
Where does "Meitheamh" come from?
The Irish word Meitheamh originates from the Proto-Celtic term *medyo-samīno-, which elegantly breaks down to mean the 'middle of summer.' As it evolved through Old Irish as mithem, its meaning solidified into the specific month of June. The word maintains a close linguistic connection to the Welsh 'Mehefin,' reflecting their shared ancient Celtic roots.
Full etymology tree
- Meitheamh (Irish), 'June (sixth month of the Gregorian calendar)'
- inherited mithem (Old Irish)
- inherited *medyo-samīno- (Proto-Celtic)
- compound *medyo- (Proto-Celtic)
- compound *samīno- (Proto-Celtic)
- inherited *medyo-samīno- (Proto-Celtic)
- inherited mithem (Old Irish)
Cognates and doublets
- Mehefin (Welsh)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris