From Old English 'medu,' from PIE *medhu (honey-wine) — one of the most widespread inherited words in Indo-European.
An alcoholic drink made by fermenting honey with water, sometimes with added fruits, spices, grains, or hops.
From Old English medu, meodu (mead, the fermented honey-drink), from Proto-Germanic *meduz, from PIE *medhu- (honey, sweet drink). The PIE root is one of the most securely reconstructed, attested across nearly every branch of the family: Sanskrit madhu (honey, sweet drink, intoxicating liquor), Greek methy (wine, intoxicating drink), Welsh medd (mead), Lithuanian medus (honey), and Old Church Slavonic medu (honey). The drink was central to Indo-European ceremonial life — a gift of the gods, drunk at feasts, offered at sacrifices
The word 'honeymoon' likely derives from the tradition of newlyweds drinking mead for a full moon cycle (one month) after the wedding. The Greek word 'amethyst' literally means 'not drunk' (a- + methyein), where 'methy' — cognate with 'mead' — meant wine. So the gemstone's name is etymologically connected to honey-wine via this shared