English
Merovee
Merovee comes from Medieval Latin Meroveus, from Proto-West Germanic *mārī ‘famous’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *mērijaz.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mērijaz‘renowned, famous, great’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mārī‘famous’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*Mārīwīgreconstructed
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500Meroveus
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600Merovee
- Englishearliest quotation 1631same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mērijaz‘renowned, famous, great’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mārī‘famous’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*Mārīwīgreconstructed
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500Meroveus
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600Merovee
- Englishearliest quotation 1631same form
Earliest quotation: 1631, John Selden, Titles of Honor: “The French had their Merouings, the old Kentiſh Kingdome…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mer- ‘to shine, sparkle, excel’
march, remember, murder, marine, nightmare, mortality, marsh, mortal, maritime, mortar, mare, mere, mara, moor, morbid, muller, mort, morn, marinate, moribund, marinara, ambrosia, maar, cormorant, 62 more
Today it means
name —
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *mērijaz / Merovee