Etymology

Some ON input is usually invoked to explain ME forms without a prefix (< OE ge-), although as Bj. notes, what this means exactly is rarely specified. As well as the usual OE gemæcca 'mate, equal, comrade, companion', Nhb maca (erroneously) glossing Lat unice is attested once. OED3 very reasonably concludes that ME make represents an aphetic form of the native n. 'probably reinforced by coalescence with the (ultimately cognate) early Scandinavian noun'.

PGmc Ancestor

*makōn

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

maki 'match'
(ONP maki (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far maki, Icel maki, Norw make, Dan mage, Sw make

OE Cognate

cp. gemæcca 'mate, equal, comrade, companion'

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

CC1

Attestation

Forms without the prefix are widely attested from the late 12c. onwards (MED, OED). EDD notes instances in N, Sc, E Midlands, Glo. and Nhp. dial of MnE.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Pe 759, Cl 248, 331, 334 etc.; WA 574, 5153, 5430

Bibliography

MED māke (n.1) , OED3 make (n.1) , HTOED , EDD make (sb.2), Bj. 250, de Vries maki, Mag. maki, AEW maca, gemæcca