< Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic

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.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ˈmɑr.θuz/

Noun

*marþuz m

  1. marten

Inflection

u-stemDeclension of *marþuz (u-stem)
singular plural
nominative *marþuz *marþiwiz
vocative *marþu *marþiwiz
accusative *marþų *marþunz
genitive *marþauz *marþiwǫ̂
dative *marþiwi *marþumaz
instrumental *marþū *marþumiz

Descendants

  • Old English: mearþ
  • Old Frisian: *merth
    • West Frisian: murd
  • Frankish: *marth
    • Medieval Latin: martes (see there for descendants)
  • Old High German: mard
  • Old Norse: mǫrðr

References

  1. marten”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
  2. Douglas Harper (2001–2023), marten”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.