Where does “marshmallow” come from?

Marshmallow comes from Old English mersċmealwe, a plant name of uncertain ultimate origin.

marshmallow (English): A species of mallow, "Althaea officinalis", that...

Definitions

  1. A species of mallow, "Althaea officinalis", that...

Ancestry of “marshmallow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmersċmealwemarshmallow
2Old Englishmersċmarsh
3Proto-West Germanicmarisklake-like, marshy; marsh, swamp
4Proto-West Germanicmarisea, lake
5Proto-Germanicmarisea, ocean; lake, body of water
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmórisea; standing water
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland

Words derived from “marshmallow”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European móri →Every word from Proto-Germanic mari →