Where does “mareritt” come from?
mareritt (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål mare, from Old Norse mara, from Proto-Germanic marǭ, from Proto-Indo-European mor-, from Proto-Indo-European mer- — to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland.
mareritt (Norwegian Bokmål): nightmare, bad dream
Ancestry of “mareritt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Bokmål | mare | a mare |
| 2 | Old Norse | mara | nightmare, incubus; to be waterlogged, float low... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | marǭ | evil spirit; succubus; incubus; nightmare |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | mor- | to blacken, to dirty; dirt spot; to rub, pound,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | mer- | to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland |