Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/muːŋ ~ r/s-muːk

Etymology

 * Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *mruk/mrjuɣ (Coblin, 1986)
 * Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *(r-)maw = (r-)məw, *muːŋ ⪤ **r/s-muːk (Matisoff, STEDT); *r-muw = *r-məw ⪤ *r-muuk (LaPolla, 1987); *(r-)məw, *(r-)muw (Weidert, 1987); *(r-)muw (Benedict, 1972)

Here is a merger of the two roots proposed by Matisoff (above), per LaPolla (1987): "Evidence from Dulong supports the contention in STC (n.236, p.77) that *r‑muuk is an archaic doublet of *r‑muw = *r‑məw" (p.11).

Words meaning "dark, covered, obscure, dull" and the like in Sino-Tibetan languages tend to have the phonesthemic initial *m- followed by a back vowel (Schuessler, 2007).



Adjective

 * 1) fog, cloud, mist
 * 2) sky, heaven
 * 3) foggy, misty, dark, dull
 * 4) sullen, menacing

Descendants

 * Old Chinese:
 * mogs (ZS);
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,
 * Middle Chinese:, , , , , ,


 * Modern Mandarin
 * Beijing: (wù, ),  (mái, ),  (mào, ),, ,  (méng, ),  (màimù, )
 * Kamarupan
 * Kuki-Chin
 * Central Chin
 * Lushai [Mizo]:
 * Himalayish
 * Tibeto-Kanauri
 * Bodic
 * Tibetan
 * Written, , , , , ,
 * Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
 * Lolo-Burmese
 * Burmish
 * Written, , , , , , (whence )
 * Loloish
 * Northern Loloish
 * Yi (Liangshan): (whence, , , )
 * Central Loloish
 * Lisu (Northern): ~
 * Lisu (Northern): ~