Of uncertain origin.
Beekes derives the verb from a zero-grade nasal present of a Proto-Indo-European *merh₂- (“to seize, grip”), and compares Sanskrit मृणीहि (mṛṇīhi) and मृणति (mṛṇati) (which trace back to the Sanskrit root Sanskrit मृण् (mṛṇ, “to crush, smash)”) as potential exact matches. The original meaning of the Greek would have been something like "to crush or grab one another".[1] However, the Sanskrit is traditionally derived from a nasal extension of Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to grind, crush”),[2] which cannot produce the Greek form.
Other potential cognates adduced by Rix (which, as Beekes notes, have not been ascertained by other linguists) include Albanian marr (“to take”), Old Norse merja (“to beat, crush”), and Hittite (marritta, “is crushed”).[3] The Albanian and Germanic terms have alternative plausible derivations, which along with the Sanskrit place the existence of the Indo-European root in doubt.
μᾰ́ρνᾰμαι • (mắrnămai)
number | singular | dual | plural | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
first | second | third | second | third | first | second | third | ||||||
middle/ passive |
indicative | μᾰ́ρνᾰμαι | μᾰ́ρνᾰσαι | μᾰ́ρνᾰται | μᾰ́ρνᾰσθον | μᾰ́ρνᾰσθον | μᾰρνᾰ́μεθᾰ | μᾰ́ρνᾰσθε | μᾰ́ρνᾰνται | ||||
subjunctive | μᾰρνῶμαι | μᾰρνῇ | μᾰρνῆται | μᾰρνῆσθον | μᾰρνῆσθον | μᾰρνώμεθᾰ | μᾰρνῆσθε | μᾰρνῶνται | |||||
optative | μᾰρναίμην | μᾰ́ρναιο | μᾰ́ρναιτο | μᾰ́ρναισθον | μᾰρναίσθην | μᾰρναίμεθᾰ | μᾰ́ρναισθε | μᾰ́ρναιντο | |||||
imperative | μᾰ́ρνᾰσο | μᾰρνᾰ́σθω | μᾰ́ρνᾰσθον | μᾰρνᾰ́σθων | μᾰ́ρνᾰσθε | μᾰρνᾰ́σθων | |||||||
middle/passive | |||||||||||||
infinitive | μᾰ́ρνᾰσθαι | ||||||||||||
participle | m | μᾰρνᾰ́μενος | |||||||||||
f | μᾰρνᾰμένη | ||||||||||||
n | μᾰρνᾰ́μενον | ||||||||||||
Notes: | This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.
|
number | singular | dual | plural | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
first | second | third | second | third | first | second | third | ||||||
middle/ passive |
indicative | ἐμᾰρνᾰ́μην | ἐμᾰ́ρνᾰσο | ἐμᾰ́ρνᾰτο | ἐμᾰ́ρνᾰσθον | ἐμᾰρνᾰ́σθην | ἐμᾰρνᾰ́μεθᾰ | ἐμᾰ́ρνᾰσθε | ἐμᾰ́ρνᾰντο | ||||
Notes: | This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For conjugation in dialects other than Attic, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.
|
number | singular | dual | plural | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
first | second | third | second | third | first | second | third | ||||||
middle/ passive |
indicative | μᾰρνᾰ́μην | μᾰ́ρνᾰσο | μᾰ́ρνᾰτο | μᾰ́ρνᾰσθον | μᾰρνᾰ́σθην | μᾰρνᾰ́με(σ)θᾰ | μᾰ́ρνᾰσθε | μᾰ́ρνᾰντο | ||||
Notes: | Dialects other than Attic are not well attested. Some forms are based on conjecture. Use with caution. For more details, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal conjugation.
|