# *mente



## Maroseika

Is there or maybe ever was in Polish such a word _mente _or _męte _or _męto _originating from _mentyk _< Hung._ mente - _hussar's pelisse and meaning in Polish slang a soldier or a policeman?When I say 'ever was' I mean the middle of the XIX century.

I'm looking for the etymology of Russian _мент _(a cop) and some traces lead to Hungarian thru Polish.


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## rygi

I've heard a few times terms like "męty/menty/mędy/menty" (I don't really know how to put it down as I haven't come across the written form). It was always in plural and meant "cops". I come from eastern Poland where Polish language is entwined with Belorussian, Ukrainian and Russian words on daily basis. You can also look up a dictionary entry for "męt" here: http://etymologia.org/wiki/Słownik+etymologiczny/męt


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## Maroseika

That's very interesting. However maybe this Polish word is just a recent Russian loan. 
As for the Slavic męt it looks to have nothing to do with the cops...


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## PawelBierut

I think *rygi* that this is the word that you refer to


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## Maroseika

PawelBierut said:


> I think *rygi* that this is the word that you refer to


But what can mint have to do with cops?


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## PawelBierut

The fourth meaning ((1.4) _wulg._ _wulgarnie_ policjant[1]) says that the word *menda *can meen policeman (in a vulgar form).


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## Maroseika

Oh, yes, I have not noticed. So in the first mean it is _cunnus_.
According to Max Vasmer it has cognate at least in Czech: Magdalena > _pani manda_ - ass > she-sinner > whore, but what's about Polish? Do you know, how old this sense? Was it in use in the end of the 19th century?


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## Oletta

Hi Maroseika,

I have searched for it in the 1857 edition of the Dictionary of Polish by Linde, and haven't found anything there, you can indulge on your own, though via Federacja Bibliotek Cyfrowych (Digital Libraries Federation): http://fbc.pionier.net.pl/owoc?action=ChangeLanguageAction&language=en.


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## Maroseika

Thank you for the link. Strange enough, but even _menda _is not found there in no year... Maybe it is not representative enough in the sphere of the obscene lexis.


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## Ben Jamin

Maroseika said:


> Oh, yes, I have not noticed. So in the first mean it is _cunnus_.


 No, 'menda' is the pubic louse in Polish (_Phthirus pubis). _For_ cunnus_ the same word is used as in Russian.


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## Maroseika

Ben Jamin said:


> No, 'menda' is the pubic louse in Polish (_Phthirus pubis). _For_ cunnus_ the same word is used as in Russian.


I believe there are many words in any language for this item. In Russian 'pubic louse' is мандавошка (манда + вошка < вошь), so Polish _menda _also can be a shorten form of smth like the Russian term_.
_Even though etymology of this word is still unknown, its original sense in Slavic languages seems to be evident.


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## Ben Jamin

Maroseika said:


> I believe there are many words in any language for this item. In Russian 'pubic louse' is мандавошка (манда + вошка < вошь), so Polish _menda _also can be a shorten form of smth like the Russian term_._
> Even though etymology of this word is still unknown, its original sense in Slavic languages seems to be evident.


Maybe the origin of the word is the one you describe, but in Polish this meaning has been forgotten in centuries. I have never heard or read _menda_ in the meaning of _cunnus_. The old Polish word was 'kiep', but it lost its meaning a long time ago. Today 'kiep' means 'idiot, loser' (virtually obsolete), and 'kiepski' means 'of poor quality' (still much used).


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