Where does “quagmire” come from?
Quagmire comes from Middle English quagmire, combining quag (from Old English cwacian, to shake) and mire, which derives from Old Norse mýrr, Proto-Germanic miurijǭ, and Proto-Indo-European mark-, meaning swamp or bog.
quagmire (English): A swampy, soggy area of ground; A perilous, mixed...
Definitions
- A swampy, soggy area of ground; A perilous, mixed...
Ancestry of “quagmire”, step by step
quagmire traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mire
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mire | Deep mud; moist, spongy earth; An undesirable... |
| 2 | Middle English | mire | Marshy or swampy land; a mire or peat; A region... |
| 3 | French | mire | aim; foresight; target |
| 4 | Italian | mira | aim; sight; aim, goal, purpose, design,... |
| 5 | Italian | mirare | to aim, to take aim, to sight, to point; to... |
| 6 | Latin | mīror | to be astonished at, marvel at, admire, be amazed at, wonder at |
| 7 | Latin | mīrus | wonderful, marvelous, amazing, surprising, miraculous |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | smeiros | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sméyros | laughing, smiling |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | smey- | to smile; to smear, stroke, wipe, rub; to be... |