Where does “mire” come from?
Mire comes from Middle English mire, from Old Norse mýrr, from Proto-Germanic miurijǭ, from Proto-Indo-European mark-, originally meaning swamp or bog.
mire (English): Deep mud; moist, spongy earth; An undesirable...
Definitions
- Deep mud; moist, spongy earth; An undesirable...
Ancestry of “mire”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mire | Marshy or swampy land; a mire or peat; A region... |
| 2 | French | mire | aim; foresight; target |
| 3 | Italian | mira | aim; sight; aim, goal, purpose, design,... |
| 4 | Italian | mirare | to aim, to take aim, to sight, to point; to... |
| 5 | Latin | mīror | to be astonished at, marvel at, admire, be amazed at, wonder at |
| 6 | Latin | mīrus | wonderful, marvelous, amazing, surprising, miraculous |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | smeiros | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sméyros | laughing, smiling |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | smey- | to smile; to smear, stroke, wipe, rub; to be... |