Where does “mair” come from?

Mare comes from Middle English mare, Old English mīere, Proto-Germanic miurijǭ, and Proto-Indo-European mer-, ultimately deriving from the root mark- meaning to shine or gleam.

mair (English): more

Definitions

  1. more

Ancestry of “mair”, step by step

mair traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English mair

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmair—
2Old Englishmāramore
3Proto-West Germanic*maiʀōmore, larger
4Proto-Germanicmaizôcomparative degree of *mikilaz; more
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmē-to measure; endeavour, will, temper; many

via Scottish Gaelic maor

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scottish Gaelicmaorofficer; bailiff; factor
2Old Irishmáersteward
3Latinmāiorancestors, forefathers; advanced in years, the aged; the elders
4Latinmagnuslarge, big; great; important
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmeǵh₂-big, great; great; big, stour, great
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mē- →Every word from Proto-Germanic maizô →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō →