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*(s)mer-

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Etymology and origin of the Proto-Indo-European word *(s)mer-

*(s)mer-1 to remember

Confidence
Established

Reconstruction

LIV sets up 1.*(s)mer- 'to think of, remember', with an s-mobile.[1] Beekes writes *smer-.[2]

Morphology

LIV lists, with a query, a root aorist *smér-/smr̥-, an i-reduplicated present *si-smér/smr̥- in Ancient Greek ἱμείρω (himeírō, “I long for”), a full-grade present *smér-e- in Sanskrit स्मरति (smárati), with a query a perfect and a causative, and the Old English nasal present murnan as an innovation.[1] LIV also had an iterative *(s)mṓr-i̯e-, but Kümmel deletes it: the South Slavic verb for 'to care' is probably a secondary causative of a verb for 'to be able'.[1][3]

Evidence

The root is attested in Indo-Iranian, Greek and Germanic.[1] LIV adds Ancient Greek μέριμνα (mérimna, “care”) and separates Latin mora (“delay”) and Old Irish maraid (“remains”).[1]

Competing analyses

Beekes takes Ancient Greek μέριμνα (mérimna) from a noun built on this verb, but notes Furnée's Pre-Greek explanation from the suffix.[2]

Meanings

  1. to think of, to remember[1]

Reflexes

  • Indo-Aryan: Sanskrit स्मरति (smárati, “remembers, thinks of”).[4]
  • Greek: Ancient Greek μέριμνα (mérimna, “care, concern”).[2]
  • Germanic: Old English murnan (“to mourn, be anxious”), as cited by LIV.[1]

*(s)mer-2 to receive a share

Confidence
Probable

Reconstruction

LIV sets up 2.*smer- 'to receive a share' and keeps it apart from 1.*(s)mer-.[5] Pokorny took it as 1.*smer- in the sense 'to give a share'.[5]

Morphology

LIV lists, with a query, a full-grade i̯e-present *smér-i̯e- in Ancient Greek μείρομαι (meíromai), a perfect *se-smór/smr̥- and an essive *smr̥-h₁i̯é- in Latin mereō.[5] Beekes explains the Aeolic and Ionic perfects from *sé-smor-e and *sé-smr-toi, and notes that the initial *sm- shows through in derivatives.[6]

Evidence

Beekes calls the forms outside Greek doubtful: Latin mereō may be cognate, but its formation *(s)mer-eh₁- is different.[6] De Vaan reconstructs *(s)mr-eh₁- 'to earn' with a query and finds the e-grade of Latin mereō problematic.[7]

Competing analyses

De Vaan finds a derivation from 1.*(s)mer- 'to remember' unlikely for semantic reasons, and Beekes calls the link with Ancient Greek μέριμνα (mérimna) highly hypothetical.[7][6]

Meanings

  1. to receive a share[5]

Derivatives

  • Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part, share”), Ancient Greek μόρος (móros, “fate, violent death”), Ancient Greek μοῖρα (moîra).[7][6]
  • *mr̥-to-: Andronicus's Latin Morta, interpreted by Livingston as 'received as one's share'.[7]
  • *mr̥-sto-, *mr̥-sti-: Old Irish mart (“death fate”).[7]

Reflexes

*(s)mer-3 fat, marrow

Confidence
Probable

Reconstruction

NIL sets up a noun smer- 'a greasy substance: marrow, fat'.[8] Kroonen and Matasović write the root *smer-.[9][10]

Morphology

NIL's stems are *smer-u-, *smer-u̯-o- or *smer-u̯-ah₂-, with a query *smer-o- or *smer-ah₂-, *smor-nah₂-, with a query *smr̥-no-, and *smér-tro-.[8] Kroonen takes the Germanic noun as a wa-stem to the root, and cites a verb *smer-eh₂-ie- 'to anoint' in Old Irish smeraid.[9]

Evidence

Celtic, Germanic and, with a query, Tocharian attest the stem.[8][11]

Meanings

  1. a greasy substance, marrow, fat[8]

Matasović glosses the root 'marrow' with a query.[10]

Derivatives

  • *smer-u-: Old Irish smiur (“marrow”).[8][9]
  • *smer-u̯-o-: Old Norse smjǫr (“butter, grease”), Old English smeoru (“fat, grease”).[8][9]
  • *smér-tro-: Gothic 𐍃𐌼𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐍂 (smaírþr, “fat”).[8]

Reflexes

  • Celtic: Old Irish smiur (“marrow”).[10]
  • Germanic: Old Norse smjǫr (“butter, grease”).[9]
  • Tocharian: Tocharian B ṣmare (“smooth, greasy; oil”).[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 1.*[s]mer-
  2. ^ a b c Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. μέριμνα
  3. ^ Kümmel, Martin Joachim, Addenda und Corrigenda zu LIV², online document, last change 16 June 2026, p. 83
  4. ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1956–1980), Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 548
  5. ^ a b c d Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. 2.*smer-
  6. ^ a b c d e Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. μείρομαι
  7. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. mereō
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Wodtko, Dagmar S.; Irslinger, Britta; Schneider, Carolin (2008), Nomina im indogermanischen Lexikon, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. smer-
  9. ^ a b c d e Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 458
  10. ^ a b c Matasović, Ranko (2009), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, Leiden: Brill, p. 358
  11. ^ a b Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), A Dictionary of Tocharian B, 2nd ed., Amsterdam: Rodopi, p. 731

Descendants

Cite this entry

“*(s)mer-.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ine-pro/*(s)mer-. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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