English
mer-
Mer- comes from Proto-Germanic *mari ‘sea’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *móri.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*móri‘sea’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mari‘sea’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mari-reconstructed
- Englishtodaymer-
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*móri‘sea’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mari‘sea’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mari-reconstructed
- Englishtodaymer-
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mer- ‘sea, lake, wetland’
remember, murder, nightmare, mortality, mortal, submarine, mortar, maritime, mara, morbid, mort, morn, muller, mariner, ambrosia, moribund, marinara, cormorant, 59 more
through Proto-Indo-European *móri ‘sea’
march, marine, mare, moor, marshy, marinate, maar, 16 more
through Proto-Germanic *mari ‘sea’
Today it means
prefix sea; marine; applied to beings that are fully or partly sea-creatures.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *móri / mer-