English word origin

Etymology of mara

Borrowed from Old Norse mara, from Proto-Germanic *marǭ, cognate with Old English mare or mære. Doublet of mare. See nightmare.

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 4 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 ↗

noun

A nightmare; a spectre or wraith-like creature in Germanic and particularly Scandinavian folklore; a female demon who torments people in sleep by crouching on their chests or stomachs, or by causing terrifying visions.

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

Borrowed from Old Norse mara, from Proto-Germanic *marǭ, cognate with Old English mare or mære. Doublet of mare. See nightmare.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Root classification mention*mer-ine-pro
Borrowed-form mentionmaranon
Derivation mention*marǭgem-pro
Cognate mentionmareang
Doublet mentionmareen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*mer-",
        "id": "die"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "mara"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse mara"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*marǭ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *marǭ"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "mare"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English mare"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mare"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of mare"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mara",
      "mara#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*marǭ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/marǭ"
    ],
    [
      "mare",
      "mare#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "mære",
      "mære#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "mare",
      "mare#English"
    ],
    [
      "nightmare",
      "nightmare#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A nightmare; a spectre or wraith-like creature in Germanic and particularly Scandinavian folklore; a female demon who torments people in sleep by crouching on their chests or stomachs, or by causing terrifying visions."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "European"
      ],
      "recordId": "2b03c0f1c0f8287ca3ebd6cc912e20aaca0aec72e39945bbb4e616f2f084912e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "cd70f978e01a367ca8ff68d62d53fa7ebc9959978c5289bce8722dca01269633",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 496070
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A type of god that prevents accomplishment or success. · Any malicious or evil spirit.

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

Borrowed from Sanskrit मार (māra).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionमारsa

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Buddhist_mara"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "मार"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit मार (māra)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "मार",
      "मार#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A type of god that prevents accomplishment or success.",
        "Any malicious or evil spirit."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "bac1f9fde8f8ef16adf1af1be523dd37452dec21f057cab9b2f972efb795f834",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5cb0e1b25b4e3eaddcd815d1e60efb91dcff0e5dbe9cc2542bbd4ab82b3cd6a5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 496071
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Any caviid rodent of the genus Dolichotis, common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina.

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

From New World Spanish mara.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionmaraes

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "mara"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish mara"
    },
    {
      "name": "taxfmt",
      "args": {
        "1": "Dolichotis patagonum",
        "2": "species"
      },
      "expansion": "Dolichotis patagonum"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mara",
      "mara#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "Patagonian mara",
      "Patagonian mara"
    ],
    [
      "Dolichotis patagonum",
      "Dolichotis patagonum#Translingual"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any caviid rodent of the genus Dolichotis, common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f758e4aa29c2ae8c8e5385273e9deda219b5b59d621705ca8fde1bcf8ae967b6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3dd3b828ba2b8501f486d40707c0f063eb600025bb5365ee9932f2ca690ef158",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 496072
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

noun

A Latin American criminal gang.

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

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Mara (gang)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Latin American criminal gang."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "recordId": "fb815a968e42b3a990f8f7a3c2bc6d53e02bf6ee06f67e254836becccb2d2ca2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "909bf38574f29f4fb612573c9b7a7254ab0ac09e4bc902b9bf8647110ad2905d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 496073
    }
  ],
  "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 mara →

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-bWFyYQ