Originally the word “meat” comes from the old English “mete” which refers to any type of food. “Mete” was simply whatever you were eating. That word is descended from proto-Indo-European word “matti” which originally meant “moist”. Eventually, the need arose to specify what kind of meat you were eating, and so some variants popped up. “Flesh-meat” (a phrase that is perhaps still used in orkish circles) referred to the meat of dead animals. “Green-mete” (a phrase that I wish was still in circulation) referred to vegetables and the like. And “white-mete” was any kind of dairy that one consumed.
– A few thoughts from your friend Saxo