𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍂

Forms

𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍂 (maurþr), a neuter noun of the a-stem class.^[1][2][3] The recorded forms are the accusative singular maurþr and the plural 𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍂𐌰 (maurþra).^[2][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *murþrą (“murder”),^[5][6] which matches Old English morþor in Old English.^[6][7] Kroonen explains the Gothic and Old English nouns as an instrumental noun *mŕ̥-tro- formed from the root Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to die”).^[7] Related nouns with another suffix are Old Norse morð in Old Norse, Old Saxon morð in Old Saxon and Old High German mord in Old High German.^[8][9] Uhlenbeck takes the original meaning to have been simply "death".^[8] Outside Germanic the root is found in Latin morior (“to die”) and mors (“death”), Lithuanian mirti (“to die”) in Lithuanian and Ancient Greek βροτός (brotós, “mortal”).^[8][9]

Attestation

Köbler counts four records, in Mark 7:21 and 15:7 (manuscript CA), Galatians 5:21 (A and B) and 1 Timothy 6:4 (A and B, where the word is restored); the Wulfila project counts six tokens, counting both manuscripts.^[2][4] The first in canonical order is the plural maurþra at Mark 7:21.^[4] Köbler gives Ancient Greek φόνος (phónos) as the Greek word it renders.^[2] Mark 15:7 reads þaiei in auhjodau maurþr gatawidedun, "who had committed murder in the uproar".^[10]

Meanings

1. murder, homicide, for φόνος^[1][2][5]

Word family

• 𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (maurþrjan, “to murder”)
• 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍂𐌾𐌰 (manamaurþrja, “manslayer”)

References

1. ^ a b Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. maurþr
2. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. maúrþr*
3. ^ Braune, Wilhelm; Heidermanns, Frank (2004), Gotische Grammatik, mit Lesestücken und Wörterverzeichnis, 20th ed., Sammlung kurzer Grammatiken germanischer Dialekte A 1, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. 288
4. ^ a b c De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be
5. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍂
6. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 277
7. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 378
8. ^ a b c Uhlenbeck, C. C. (1900), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Müller, p. 108
9. ^ 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. maurþr
10. ^ De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be, p. Mk 15:7