Where does “mere” come from?

mere (Middle High German) comes from Old High German mēro, from Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō, from Proto-Germanic maizô, from Proto-Indo-European mē- — to measure; endeavour, will, temper; many.

Ancestry of “mere”, step by step

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

Words derived from “mere”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mē- →Every word from Proto-Germanic maizô →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō →