English
marsh
Marsh comes from Middle English mersch ‘a region of marshland or damp meadowland’, from Proto-West Germanic *mari ‘sea, lake’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *móri ‘standing water’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*móri‘standing water’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mari‘lake, body of water’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mari‘sea, lake’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*marisk‘lake-like, marshy’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150mersċ‘a marsh, bog, or swamp’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mersch‘a region of marshland or damp meadowland’
- Englishtodaymarsh
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*móri‘standing water’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mari‘lake, body of water’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mari‘sea, lake’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*marisk‘lake-like, marshy’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150mersċ‘a marsh, bog, or swamp’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mersch‘a region of marshland or damp meadowland’
- Englishtodaymarsh
Formed from mere ‘sea, body of water’ + -ish
Latin merus ‘pure, unmixed, undiluted’
Old French mier ‘pure, simple, complete’
Anglo-Norman meer
Middle English mere
English mere
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mer- ‘to die’
remember, murder, mortality, mortal, nightmare, maritime, mortar, submarine, muller, morbid, mort, morn, mara, ambrosia, moribund, mariner, cormorant, marinara, 60 more
through Proto-Indo-European *móri ‘standing water’
march, marine, moor, mare, marinate, maar, 17 more
through Proto-West Germanic *mari ‘sea, lake’
Today it means
noun An area of low, wet land, often with tall grass or herbaceous plants.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *móri / marsh