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

Declension 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

  • Proto-West Germanic: *marþ
    • Old English: mearþ, mearth, mærþ, merþ
    • Old Frisian: *merth
    • Old Saxon: *marth
    • Old Dutch: *mard
    • Old High German: *mard
      • Middle High German: mard
    • → Medieval Latin: martes (see there for further descendants)
  • Old Norse: mǫrðr
  • → Proto-Samic: *mārttë (see there for further descendants)

References

  1. ^ “marten”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
  2. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “marten”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
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