Where does “Märlein” come from?

Märlein (German) comes from German Mär, from Middle High German mære, from Old High German māri, from Proto-Germanic mērijaz, from Proto-Indo-European mēros — large, handsome.

Ancestry of “Märlein”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanMäran often repeated untruth, a fable, a false...
2Middle High Germanmærefamous
3Old High Germanmārifamous, great; well known, famous; news, tale
4Proto-Germanicmērijazrenowned, famous, great
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmēroslarge, handsome
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mēros →Every word from Proto-Germanic mērijaz →Every word from Old High German māri →