Where does “メルヘン” come from?
メルヘン (Japanese) comes from German Märchen, from German Mär, from Middle High German mære, from Old High German māri, from Proto-Germanic mērijaz, from Proto-Indo-European mēros — large, handsome.
メルヘン (Japanese): fairytale
Ancestry of “メルヘン”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Märchen | fairy tale |
| 2 | German | Mär | an often repeated untruth, a fable, a false... |
| 3 | Middle High German | mære | famous |
| 4 | Old High German | māri | famous, great; well known, famous; news, tale |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mērijaz | renowned, famous, great |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mēros | large, handsome |