*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Merv

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish مرو (merv), from Classical Persian مَرْو (marw) (whence also Turkmen Merw).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

Synonym of Mary, a city in Turkmenistan noted for its former role on the Silk Road and similar trade routes.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish مرو (merv), from Classical Persian مَرْو (marw) (whence also Turkmen Merw).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionمروota
  • Cognate mentionMerwtk
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ota",
        "3": "مرو",
        "tr": "merv"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish مرو (merv)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "مَرْو"
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian مَرْو (marw)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "tk",
        "2": "Merw"
      },
      "expansion": "Turkmen Merw"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "مرو",
      "مرو#Ottoman_Turkish"
    ],
    [
      "مَرْو",
      "مرو#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "Merw",
      "Merw#Turkmen"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of Mary, a city in Turkmenistan noted for its former role on the Silk Road and similar trade routes."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "c3aa6e5bb73ade0156bebe6124d14fe835906525979275dcac93b735cbf9a5fa",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f77d2b36c3644c0d60db9b17c36c060acee70b7f942c121523651c05f3664eca",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 353757
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A male given name, clipping of Mervyn.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of Mervyn.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Mervyn"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of Mervyn"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Mervyn",
      "Mervyn#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name, clipping of Mervyn."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "61aff4cc73d585a4d9e3c73cf6c941f7d0c55133aea4b56e9fa09fca12c6f95b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "92ca7a88c6a178515149c040cc43a870829d2ec833968e19944a20840c01dff1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 353758
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Merv →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TWVydg