Where does “mere” come from?
Mere comes from Old English mīere, from Latin merus meaning pure or unmixed, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mer- meaning to rub or wear away.
mere (English): A body of standing water, such as a lake or a...
Definitions
- A body of standing water, such as a lake or a...
Ancestry of “mere”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mere | mare; mother; sea, lake |
| 2 | Old English | mere | lake; pool; sea |
| 3 | Old English | byriġ | — |
| 4 | Old English | burh | Alternative form of burg; fortress; hill |
| 5 | Old English | burg | city; town; a fortified place: stronghold, fort,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |
Words derived from “mere”