matið

Matið is an Icelandic historical noun meaning "the measure" or "the standard." The form matið appears in a limited number of medieval and early modern Icelandic texts. The base form mati- is used to denote measurement or a standard, and matið functions as the definite neuter singular of that noun in context.

In practice, matið is found in legal and commercial passages to designate the official or customary unit used for trade in a given region. A contract might reference that a commodity is sold by matið, linking quantity to a recognized standard rather than mere counting. The exact origin of matið is unclear, and scholars generally treat it as a historical term rather than a living part of contemporary Icelandic vocabulary.

Today, more common terms for the same concepts are mæling for measurement and mátun for calibration or standardization. Matið thus serves as a linguistic artifact illustrating how historical economies anchored quantities to standardized measures and how the language reflected those practices.

See also: units of measurement, Icelandic language, historical linguistics.