Where does “Mara” come from?

Mara comes from Hebrew מָרָא, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European mer-, though the exact semantic development remains unclear.

Mara (English): A member of a predominantly agricultural tribe of...

Definitions

  1. A member of a predominantly agricultural tribe of...

Ancestry of “Mara”, step by step

Mara traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse mara

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsemaranightmare, incubus; to be waterlogged, float low...
2Proto-Germanicmarǭevil spirit; succubus; incubus; nightmare
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmor-to blacken, to dirty; dirt spot; to rub, pound,...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland

via Spanish mará

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishmarácriminal gang
2Tamilமரம்tree
3Old Tamil𑀫𑀭𑀫𑁆tree
4Proto-Dravidian*marantree

via Hebrew מָרָא

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hebrewמָרָאbitterness
2Hebrewמַרbitter

Words derived from “Mara”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mer- →