Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “merle” come from?

merle (Old French) comes from Latin merula, from Proto-Italic meselā, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ems- — to give birth, beget.

Ancestry of “merle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinmerulablackbird; wrasse
2Proto-Italicmeselā—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ems-to give birth, beget

Words derived from “merle”

  • merle
  • merled
  • merle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ems- →