Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/marþuz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Unknown. The original meaning could have been "bride," which could be related to Latin mas (“male bride”), Lithuanian marti (“daughter-in-law”), and possibly Crimean Gothic marzu (“marriage”). For similar semantic development, compare Greek νυφίτσα (nyfítsa, “weasel”), from a diminutive of νύφη (nýfi, “bride”); Italian donnola (“weasel”), from a diminutive of donna (“woman”); and Spanish comadreja (“weasel”), from a deprecative diminutive of Spanish comadre (“mother of one's godchild”).^[1][2] Or, possibly of substrate origin.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑr.θuz/

*marþuz m

1. marten

• *marþraz

• Proto-West Germanic: *marþ
  • Old English: mearþ, mearth, mærþ, merþ
  • Old Frisian: *merth
    • West Frisian: murd
  • Old Saxon: *marth
    • Middle Low German: mārt, mārte
  • Old Dutch: *mard
    • Middle Dutch: mārt
  • Old High German: *mard
    • Middle High German: mard
  • → Medieval Latin: martes (see there for further descendants)
• Old Norse: mǫrðr
  • Icelandic: mörður
  • Faroese: mørður
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: mord, mår; (dialectal) mard (mał, mar)
  • Old Swedish: mārþer
    • Swedish: mård c
  • Danish: mår c
    • Norwegian Bokmål: mår