-mar

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "mar"

Old Irish

Etymology

Derives from the use of már, mór (“big”) (< Proto-Celtic *māros) to form compounds like nertmar (“strong”, literally “having great strength”) (< Proto-Celtic *nertomāros).[1]

Suffix

-mar

  1. generates adjectives from nouns.
    ‎grían (“sun”) + ‎-mar → ‎gríanmar (“sunny”)
    ‎úath (“terror”) + ‎-mar → ‎úathmar (“terrible”)

Derived terms

Old Irish terms suffixed with -mar

Descendants

  • Irish: -mhar
  • Scottish Gaelic: -mhor
  • Manx: -r, -yr

References

  1. ^ Kim McCone (1994) “An tSean-Ghaeilge agus a Réamhstair”, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do Pádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, page 132:
    Ar an lámh eile, tharlódh gur scar ball deiridh comhfhocail lena bhunfhocal de bharr na bhforbairtí seo, deighilt a réitigh an bealach dá ataifeach mar iarmhír nua scaití. Mar shampla, is léir ó MB nerthfawr, Gl. Nerto-maros < CC *nerto-māros ‘mór (*māro/ā‑, SG már; 3.12) maidir le neart’ gur seanchomhfhocal é SG nert-mar ‘neartmhar’ ach fágadh an ‑mar seo ar leataobh nuair a tháinig comhfhocail nua ar nós argat-már (argat ‘airgead’ + már ‘mór’) chun cinn. B’éasca ‑mar a thuiscint mar iarmhír shealbhach ina dhiaidh sin agus aidiachtaí nua ar nós lógmar ‘luachmhar’, boladmar ‘cumhra’ a bhunú uirthi. (…)
    On the other hand, the final member of a compound word could be separated from its original word due to these developments, a separation that paved the way for its reanalysis as a new suffix. For example, it is clear from Middle Welsh nerthfawr, Gaulish Nerto-maros < Proto-Celtic *nerto-māros ‘great (*māro/ā‑, Old Irish már; 3.12) in relation to strength’ that Old Irish nert-mar ‘strong’ is an old compound, but this ‑mar was left aside when new compounds such as argat-már (argat ‘money’ + már ‘big’) appeared. It was easy to understand ‑mar as a possessive suffix afterwards, and to base new adjectives such as lógmar ‘valuable’, boladmar ‘fragrant’ on it. (…)
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