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море

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Etymology and origin of the Russian word море

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1056–1057 Ostromir Gospel
Inherited from
Old East Slavic море
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European *móri

Pronunciation

Forms

мо́ре (móre) n inan (genitive мо́ря, nominative plural моря́, genitive plural море́й, relational adjective морско́й)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old East Slavic море (more), from Proto-Slavic *moře (“sea”).[1][2] The word is common Slavic: Old Church Slavonic морѥ (morje) renders Ancient Greek θάλασσα (thálassa), and there are Ukrainian море (more), Belarusian мора (mora), Bulgarian море (more), Czech moře and Polish morze.[3][4]

It continues Proto-Indo-European *móri (“sea, lake”).[1][5] Its cognates are Lithuanian mãrios (“the Curonian Lagoon”), Old Prussian mary (“lagoon”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹 (marei, “sea”), Old High German meri (“sea”), Old Irish muir (“sea”) and Latin mare (“sea”);[3][4] the Latin ⟨a⟩ comes from ⟨o⟩ unrounded in an open syllable.[5] A long o-grade is seen in muor (“pool, swamp”) and Old English mōr.[3] Vasmer takes “swamp” to be the old meaning;[3] ESRJa, citing Hittite marmarra- (“swamp, overgrown pool”) and the Ossetian word for deep standing water, traces a path from “standing water, swamp” to “lake” and then “sea”.[4]

The root and its first sense are hard to fix.[6] Chernykh mentions a root “to seize, rub” as one of several guesses;[6] Shaposhnikov suggests the root of “to die”, since the Indo-European funeral rite meant a voyage across the sea;[7] Wilhelm Schulze compared Ancient Greek μαρμαίρω (marmaírō, “to sparkle”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Ostromir Gospel of 1056–1057 has „Подобьно есть цѣсарьствиѥ небесьноѥ неводу въвьржену въ море” “the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea” (Matthew 13:47).[8] The Tmutarakan stone of 1068 records that Prince Gleb measured the sea over the ice from Tmutarakan to Kerch.[9] Sreznevsky glosses it “sea” and “lake”, and also the “sea” beside the altar.[10]

Semantic evolution

Old Russian used море for large lakes as well as seas: море Чудское is Lake Peipus in the Life of Alexander Nevsky, and in Olonets and on the Onega the word still means “lake”.[3] In the Urals it is the patch of clear water in a reed-grown lake.[4] Seas were named море Варяжское (the Baltic), Русское or Понтийское (the Black Sea) and Хвалынское (the Caspian).[7] The 11th–17th centuries already had the figurative senses “the turmoil of the world” and “a great amount”, and the “sea” of cast bronze in Solomon's temple.[7]

The Lay of Igor's Campaign has „Чръныя тучя съ моря идутъ” “black clouds come from the sea”.[11] The derivative моряк is late: dictionaries record it from 1814.[6][7] The astronomical sense, a dark plain on the Moon, is a calque of New Latin mare.[1] Komi, Yakut муора and Ket borrowed the word.[1]

Timeline

  • 1056–1057 – въ море “into the sea” in the Ostromir Gospel.[8]
  • 1068 – мѣрилъ море “measured the sea” on the Tmutarakan stone.[9]
  • 1189–1199 – за моремъ “overseas” in a Novgorod treaty charter.[9]
  • end of the 12th century – съ моря “from the sea” in the Lay of Igor's Campaign.[11]
  • 1814 – the derivative моряк “sailor” in a dictionary.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. sea: a part of the ocean more or less enclosed by land.[12][13][1]
  2. A very large lake, or a large reservoir, as in Каспийское море.[13][14]
  3. The waters of the globe as opposed to land;[15][13] морем means “by sea”.[15][13]
  4. (figurative) A great quantity of something, a “sea” of lights or of people.[12]
  5. (astronomy) A mare, a dark plain on the Moon.[1]

Word family

  • морской
  • моряк
  • взморье
  • поморье
  • приморье
  • приморский
  • заморский
  • помор
  • мореплавание
  • мореход
  • аквамарин
  • маринист
  • субмарина
  • Old East Slavic море (more)

Usage notes

The stress can move to a preposition: по́ морю or по мо́рю, за́ море or за мо́ре.[16] Set phrases include ждать у моря погоды “to wait for something that may never come” and море по колено “nothing can stop him”.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008), Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 4, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 325
  3. ^ a b c d e f Vasmer, Max (1964–1973), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka, transl. and suppl. by O. N. Trubačev, 4 vols., Moskva: Progress, p. 2, 654–655
  4. ^ a b c d Shansky, N. M.; Zhuravlev, A. F. (eds.) (1963–2007), Ètimologičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь русского языка], vols. 1–10 (A–M), Moskva: Izdatel'stvo Moskovskogo universiteta, p. 10, s.v. море
  5. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d Chernykh, P. Ya. (1993), Istoriko-ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Историко-этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. 1, s.v. море
  7. ^ a b c d Shaposhnikov, A. K. (2010), Ètimologičeskij slovar' sovremennogo russkogo jazyka [Этимологический словарь современного русского языка], 2 vols., Moskva: Flinta / Nauka, p. 1, 534
  8. ^ a b Barkhudarov, S. G. et al. (eds.) (1975–), Slovar' russkogo jazyka XI–XVII vv. [Словарь русского языка XI–XVII вв.], vols. 1–31, Moskva: Nauka / Azbukovnik / Lexrus, p. 9, 262
  9. ^ a b c Avanesov, R. I. et al. (eds.) (1988–), Slovar' drevnerusskogo jazyka (XI–XIV vv.) [Словарь древнерусского языка (XI–XIV вв.)], vols. 1–13, Moskva: Russkij jazyk / Azbukovnik, p. 5, 79
  10. ^ Sreznevsky, I. I. (1893–1912), Materialy dlja slovarja drevne-russkago jazyka po pis'mennym pamjatnikam [Материалы для словаря древнерусского языка по письменным памятникам], 3 vols., Sankt-Peterburg: Imperatorskaja Akademija nauk, p. 2, s.v. море
  11. ^ a b Vinogradova, V. L. (1965–1984), Slovar'-spravočnik «Slova o polku Igoreve» [Словарь-справочник «Слова о полку Игореве»], 6 vols., Moskva / Leningrad: Nauka, p. s.v. море
  12. ^ a b Ozhegov, S. I.; Shvedova, N. Yu. (1997), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4th ed., Moskva: Azbukovnik, p. s.v. море
  13. ^ a b c d Evgen'eva, A. P. (ed.) (1981–1984), Slovar' russkogo jazyka v četyrex tomax [Словарь русского языка в 4 тт.] (MAS), 2nd ed., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. море
  14. ^ Efremova, T. F. (2000), Novyj slovar' russkogo jazyka. Tolkovo-slovoobrazovatel'nyj [Новый словарь русского языка. Толково-словообразовательный], 2 vols., Moskva: Russkij jazyk, p. s.v. море
  15. ^ a b Ushakov, D. N. (ed.) (1935–1940), Tolkovyj slovar' russkogo jazyka [Толковый словарь русского языка], 4 vols., Moskva: Sovetskaja ènciklopedija / OGIZ, p. s.v. море
  16. ^ Gorbanevsky, M. N.; Gerd, A. S. et al. (eds.) (2004–), Bol'šoj akademičeskij slovar' russkogo jazyka [Большой академический словарь русского языка], Moskva / Sankt-Peterburg: Nauka, p. 10, s.v. море

Related etymologies

  • вода · also from Old East Slavic
  • быть · also from Old East Slavic
  • с · also from Old East Slavic
  • на · also from Old East Slavic
  • в · also from Old East Slavic
  • и · also from Old East Slavic
  • что · also from Old East Slavic
  • не · also from Old East Slavic
Cite this entry

“Море.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/ru/%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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