Where does “meir” come from?
meir (Scots) comes from Middle English mere, from Old English mere, from Old English byriġ, from Old English burh, from Old English burg, from Proto-Germanic burgz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥ǵʰ-.
meir (Scots): mare
Definitions
- mare
Ancestry of “meir”, step by step
meir traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English mere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mere | mare; mother; sea, lake |
| 2 | Old English | mere | lake; pool; sea |
| 3 | Old English | byriġ | — |
| 4 | Old English | burh | Alternative form of burg; fortress; hill |
| 5 | Old English | burg | city; town; a fortified place: stronghold, fort,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |
via Middle English mare
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mare | A horse member of the species |
| 2 | Old English | mare | mare (evil spirit thought to torment people in their sleep) |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | marā | evil spirit, nightmare |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | marǭ | evil spirit; succubus; incubus; nightmare |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | mor- | to blacken, to dirty; dirt spot; to rub, pound,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mer- | to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland |