Where does “merle” come from?
merle (Middle English) comes from Old French merle, from Latin merula, from Proto-Italic meselā, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ems- — to give birth, beget.
Ancestry of “merle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | merle | — |
| 2 | Latin | merula | blackbird; wrasse |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | meselā | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ems- | to give birth, beget |
Words derived from “merle”