English word origin

Etymology of mer-

From Middle English mere-, from Old English mere-, from Proto-Germanic *mari-, from Proto-Germanic *mari (“sea”). More at mere.

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 ↗

prefix

sea; marine; applied to beings that are fully or partly sea-creatures.

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

From Middle English mere-, from Old English mere-, from Proto-Germanic *mari-, from Proto-Germanic *mari (“sea”). More at mere.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Root classification mention*mer- (sea)ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionmere-enm
Inherited-form mentionmere-ang
Inherited-form mention*mari-gem-pro
Derivation mention*marigem-pro · sea

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- (sea)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "mere-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English mere-"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "mere-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English mere-"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*mari-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *mari-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*mari",
        "t": "sea"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *mari (“sea”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mere-",
      "mere-#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "mere-",
      "mere-#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*mari-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/mari-"
    ],
    [
      "*mari",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/mari"
    ],
    [
      "mere",
      "mere#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "sea; marine; applied to beings that are fully or partly sea-creatures."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "3fc3fa08429eddc9455f56a3e572175eb46524b3161e121289cfbb7912cf3126",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7e769b7d9d873cc20a8c5ae33a6b0e78beb3da570256c02ed8c4b1be47ecd37b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4068353
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

prefix

Of, pertaining to, or associated with the realm of mermaids and mermen.

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

Extracted from merman, mermaid.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "merman",
      "merman#English"
    ],
    [
      "mermaid",
      "mermaid#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Of, pertaining to, or associated with the realm of mermaids and mermen."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "93c337461edcacea66b6952711dddeee97f2b137236f3cf8a7f3f3442ee837cc",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f6cee4a6ce6f5b4e82630b2f8a87a1092990ca0485bcd53c77da1aa70a7a1e21",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

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 mer- →

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-bWVyLQ