*mari

Reconstruction

The word is *mari in Wiktionary and Ringe,^[1][2] the stem *mari- in Kroonen,^[3] *mariz in Orel,^[4] and *mari-, *mariz in Köbler.^[5] Fulk writes *mari "or *mariz?".^[6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *móri (“sea”);^[1] Kroonen calls it the regular outcome of PIE *mor-i-, a neuter i-stem meaning "sea".^[3]

Morphology

A neuter i-stem: Ringe counts it among the securely reconstructable neuters of that class, although it survives as a neuter i-stem in no daughter language.^[2] Fulk calls it a secure example of the few neuter i-stems of Proto-Germanic.^[6] Kroonen gives it as masculine or neuter,^[3] Orel as masculine.^[4] The final -i was kept after the light syllable, as Old English mere shows.^[7]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹- (mari-) in the compound 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (marisaiws), Old Norse marr, Old English mere, Old Frisian mar and Old High German meri.^[3] It was borrowed into Finnic as Finnish meri (“sea”), which LÄGLOS derives from *mari or *mariz through a West Germanic *meri;^[8] EWA takes it as borrowed from West Germanic, since it already shows umlaut.^[9] Looijenga suggests reading the sequence ⟨mari⟩ on the Vimose II sword chape as "sea, water", since the chape was found in a former lake; she also allows a short name from *māriz "famous".^[10] Its cognates include Latin mare, Old Irish muir, Lithuanian mārios and Proto-Slavic *mor’e, found only in the European languages.^[3][4][11]

Competing analyses

Feist took "standing water" as the basic meaning and therefore did not rule out a link with the PIE root *mer- "to die".^[11] Lehmann reports W. Schulze's and Thieme's derivation of the whole family from a PIE *mer- "brightness".^[12]

Meanings

1. sea; lake^[3][5][1]
2. body of water^[1][5]

Lehmann defines the base meaning as a standing body of water, inland or on the coast.^[12] Old English also used it for "pool" and "marsh",^[4][9] and Old Frisian for "ditch".^[3]

Derivatives

• *marīn-, a feminine īn-stem with the same meaning, in Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹 (marei), Old Saxon meri and Old High German merī;^[3][9] Orel writes it *marīn.^[4]
• *mōraz "marsh, moor", a vṛddhi derivative formed within Germanic.^[13][14][15]
• *marikan- "wild celery", probably a diminutive, after the plant's liking for brackish marshes.^[16]
• *mariswīną "porpoise, dolphin", with *swīną.^[17][4]
• *mariskaz "marsh", which Orel equates with the Slavic adjective Proto-Slavic *morьskъ.^[4]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹- (mari-) in 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (marisaiws, “lake”)^[18][19]
• Old Norse: marr (“sea, lake”)^[20]
• Old English: mere (“sea, lake, pond”)^[21]
• Old Frisian: mere (“sea, pool”)^[22]
• Old Dutch: meri (“water, sea”)^[9]
• Old High German: meri (“sea”)^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *mari
2. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 304
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 354
4. ^ a b c d e f g Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 261
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *mari-
6. ^ a b Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. § 7.19
7. ^ Fulk, R. D. (2018), A Comparative Grammar of the Early Germanic Languages, Studies in Germanic Linguistics 3, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins
8. ^ Kylstra, A. D.; Hahmo, Sirkka-Liisa; Hofstra, Tette; Nikkilä, Osmo (1991–2012), Lexikon der älteren germanischen Lehnwörter in den ostseefinnischen Sprachen, 3 vols, Amsterdam / Atlanta / New York: Rodopi, p. 259
9. ^ a b c d e Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. meri
10. ^ Looijenga, Tineke (2003), Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 158
11. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. marei
12. ^ a b Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. marei
13. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 372
14. ^ Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. muor
15. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *mōraz
16. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 355
17. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *mariswīną
18. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. *mari-
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. marisaiws
20. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. marr
21. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. mėre
22. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. mere