Where does “more” come from?

more (Middle English) comes from Old English māra, from Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō, from Proto-Germanic maizô, from Proto-Indo-European mē- — to measure; endeavour, will, temper; many.

more (Middle English): root

Definitions

  1. root

Ancestry of “more”, step by step

more traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English māra

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmāramore
2Proto-West Germanic*maiʀōmore, larger
3Proto-Germanicmaizôcomparative degree of *mikilaz; more
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmē-to measure; endeavour, will, temper; many

via Old English mōr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmōrmoor, marsh
2Proto-Germanicmōrazmoor
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmórisea; standing water
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland

Words derived from “more”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mē- →