Where does “merwife” come from?
merwife (English) comes from English mer-, from Middle English mere-, from Old English mere-, from Proto-Germanic mari-, from Proto-Germanic mari, from Proto-Indo-European móri, from Proto-Indo-European mer- — to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland.
merwife (English): A mermaid
Ancestry of “merwife”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | mer- | sea; marine; applied to beings that are partly... |
| 2 | Middle English | mere- | — |
| 3 | Old English | mere- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | mari- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mari | sea, ocean; lake, body of water |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | móri | sea; standing water |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mer- | to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland |