Where does “mere” come from?

mere (Old Frisian) comes from Proto-West Germanic mārī, from Proto-Germanic mari, from Proto-Indo-European móri, from Proto-Indo-European mer- — to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland.

Ancestry of “mere”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicmārīfamous; story, tale; message
2Proto-Germanicmarisea, ocean; lake, body of water
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmórisea; standing water
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland

Words derived from “mere”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European mer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European móri →Every word from Proto-Germanic mari →