Where does “mere-” come from?

mere- (Middle English) comes from Old English mere-, from Proto-Germanic mari-, from Proto-Germanic mari, from Proto-Indo-European móri, from Proto-Indo-European mer- — to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland.

Ancestry of “mere-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmere-
2Proto-Germanicmari-
3Proto-Germanicmarisea, ocean; lake, body of water
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmórisea; standing water
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland

Words derived from “mere-

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mer-Every word from Proto-Indo-European móriEvery word from Proto-Germanic mari