Where does “maighdean mhara” come from?

maighdean mhara (Irish) comes from Irish Maighdean, from Middle Irish maigden, from Old English mæġden, from Proto-West Germanic magadīn, from Proto-West Germanic -īn, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, from Proto-Indo-European -no- — adjectival suffix.

maighdean mhara (Irish): mermaid

Definitions

  1. mermaid

Ancestry of “maighdean mhara”, step by step

maighdean mhara traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Irish Maighdean

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1IrishMaighdeanVirgo
2Middle Irishmaigdenmaiden, virgin
3Old Englishmæġdenmaiden, virgin, girl, maid, servant
4Proto-West Germanicmagadīnlittle girl
5Proto-West Germanic-īnCreates adjectives from nouns with the sense...
6Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
7Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
8Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

via Irish muir

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Irishmuirsea; mare
2Old Irishmuirsea
3Proto-Celticmorisea
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmórisea; standing water
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no-Every word from Proto-Germanic -īnazEvery word from Proto-West Germanic -īn