According to Beekes, we have to start from a noun, perhaps *μεῖρος (*meîros), which would agree with Sanskrit मर्य (marya, “young man, suitor, lover”) and Avestan 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (mairiia, “yeoman”). A feminine *μεῖρα (*meîra) may be also considered. As a remote cognate, Lithuanian mergà (“girl”) has been adduced and, with different vocalism, Lithuanian martì (“daughter-in-law”); also, the unclear Latin marītus (“married”). Nowadays, Celtic words are also connected, like Welsh morwyn (“maiden, virgin”) and Cornish moren (“maiden”). The connection with Albanian shemër (“second wife”) is hardly convincing. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méryos (“boy, girl”).
μεῖρᾰξ • (meîrax) f or m (genitive μείρᾰκος); third declension
| Case / # | Singular | Dual | Plural | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ὁ, ἡ μεῖρᾰξ ho, hē meîrax |
τὼ μείρᾰκε tṑ meírake |
οἱ, αἱ μείρᾰκες hoi, hai meírakes | ||||||||||
| Genitive | τοῦ, τῆς μείρᾰκος toû, tês meírakos |
τοῖν μειρᾰ́κοιν toîn meirákoin |
τῶν μειρᾰ́κων tôn meirákōn | ||||||||||
| Dative | τῷ, τῇ μείρᾰκῐ tôi, têi meíraki |
τοῖν μειρᾰ́κοιν toîn meirákoin |
τοῖς, ταῖς μείρᾰξῐ / μείρᾰξῐν toîs, taîs meíraxi(n) | ||||||||||
| Accusative | τὸν, τὴν μείρᾰκᾰ tòn, tḕn meíraka |
τὼ μείρᾰκε tṑ meírake |
τοὺς, τᾱ̀ς μείρᾰκᾰς toùs, tā̀s meírakas | ||||||||||
| Vocative | μεῖρᾰξ meîrax |
μείρᾰκε meírake |
μείρᾰκες meírakes | ||||||||||
| Notes: |
| ||||||||||||