Where does “Meerjungfrau” come from?

Meerjungfrau (German) comes from German Meer, from Middle High German mere, from Old High German mēro, from Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō, from Proto-Germanic maizô, from Proto-Indo-European mē- — to measure; endeavour, will, temper; many.

Meerjungfrau (German): mermaid

Definitions

  1. mermaid

Ancestry of “Meerjungfrau”, step by step

Meerjungfrau traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Meer

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanMeersea; lake
2Middle High Germanmere—
3Old High Germanmēromore
4Proto-West Germanic*maiʀōmore, larger
5Proto-Germanicmaizôcomparative degree of *mikilaz; more
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmē-to measure; endeavour, will, temper; many

via German Jungfrau

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanJungfrauvirgin; maiden; Virgo
2Germanjuncvrouwe—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mē- →Every word from Proto-Germanic maizô →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō →