Etymograph

English

mourn

Mourn comes from Middle English mornen ‘to mourn’, from Proto-Germanic *murnaną ‘to feel sorrow or grief’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- ‘to think’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)mer-‘to think’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*murnaną‘to feel sorrow or grief’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150murnan‘to be sorrowful, to mourn’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mornen‘to mourn’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1485mourn

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)mer-‘to think’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*murnaną‘to feel sorrow or grief’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150murnan‘to be sorrowful, to mourn’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mornen‘to mourn’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1485mourn

Earliest quotation: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, vij: “Anone after ther cam balen / and whan he…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- ‘to think’

memory, merit, memorable, memoir, martyr, mer, memorandum, memorabilia, moratorium, mora, memoria, 14 more

Today it means

verb To express sadness or sorrow for; to grieve over (especially a death).

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- / mourn

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