Where does “madder” come from?
Madder comes from Middle English mader, Old English mæddre, Proto-Germanic madarǭ, and Proto-Indo-European modʰro-, a plant name of uncertain ultimate origin.
madder (English): A herbaceous plant, "Rubia tinctorum", native to...
Definitions
- A herbaceous plant, "Rubia tinctorum", native to...
Ancestry of “madder”, step by step
madder traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Irish méadar
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irish | méadar | metre unit of length |
| 2 | French | mètre | metre/meter; first-person singular present... |
| 3 | Latin | metrum | a measure |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |