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
mere traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English mere
| 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- | — |
via Middle Dutch mēre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | mēre | greater, larger |
| 2 | Old Dutch | meri | border, boundary |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | mārī | famous; story, tale; message |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | mari | sea, ocean; lake, body of water |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | móri | sea; standing water |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mer- | to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland |
via Maori mere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maori | mere | more |