Where does “מערהייט” come from?
מערהייט (Yiddish) comes from German Mehrheit, from Dutch meerderheid, from Dutch meerder, from Dutch meer, from Middle Dutch mêer, from Old Dutch meri, from Proto-West Germanic mārī, from Proto-Germanic mari — to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland.
מערהייט (Yiddish): majority
Ancestry of “מערהייט”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Mehrheit | majority; bulk; majority; plurality |
| 2 | Dutch | meerderheid | majority |
| 3 | Dutch | meerder | greater, superior |
| 4 | Dutch | meer | lake; sea; comparative degree of veel; more |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | mêer | — |
| 6 | Old Dutch | meri | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | mārī | famous; story, tale; message |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | mari | sea, ocean; lake, body of water |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | móri | sea; standing water |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | mer- | to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland |