Where does “marshland” come from?
Marshland is a compound of marsh and land, where marsh derives from Middle English mersh, Old English land, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European lendʰ-, meaning to stretch out.
marshland (English): marshy land; bog or fen
Definitions
- marshy land; bog or fen
Ancestry of “marshland”, step by step
marshland traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English marsh
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | marsh | An area of low, wet land, often with tall grass |
| 2 | Middle English | merssh | A region of marshland or damp meadowland |
| 3 | Middle English | mere | mare; mother; sea, lake |
| 4 | Old English | mere | lake; pool; sea |
| 5 | Old English | byriġ | — |
| 6 | Old English | burh | Alternative form of burg; fortress; hill |
| 7 | Old English | burg | city; town; a fortified place: stronghold, fort,... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |