Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/marþraz

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. Kroonen has reconstructed the variants Proto-Germanic *marþu-, Proto-Germanic *marþra- und Proto-Germanic *marþa- and derived the primal form Proto-Germanic *marþru from those. Has been compared to Proto-Finnic *mäkrä but problematic due to phonetic reasons.

Torp has compared it morphosemantically to Lithuanian martì (“bride, daughter-in-law”), due to Albanian nuselalë (“weasel, racoon”, literally “friendly bride”) and nusebukur (literally “beautiful bride”), Greek νυφίτσα (nyfítsa, “least weasel”, literally “little bride”), Italian donnola (“weasel, least weasel”, literally “little woman”) (likewise Portuguese doninha, slightly different is the metaphor in Spanish comadreja (literally “little godmother”)), Old Church Slavonic невѣста (nevěsta, “bride; weasel”). For the last compare Romanian nevăstuică (“weasel, ferret”), Bulgarian невестулка (nevestulka, “least weasel”). If connected to Lithuanian martì, the entry would be derived from Proto-Indo-European *meryo (“young man, woman”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈmɑr.θrɑz/

Noun

*marþraz m

marten

Inflection

masculine a-stemDeclension of *marþraz (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*marþraz	marþrōz, marþrōs
vocative	*marþr	marþrōz, marþrōs
accusative	*marþrą	*marþranz
genitive	marþras, marþris	*marþrǫ̂
dative	*marþrai	*marþramaz
instrumental	*marþrō	*marþramiz

Related terms

*marþuz

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *marþr
- Old Frisian: *marther
  - Saterland Frisian: Modder
  - West Frisian: motter
- Old Saxon: *mardar (found in the derived adjective mardrīn)
  - Middle Low German: marder
    - German Low German: Marder
- Old High German: marther, mardar
  - Middle High German: marder, merder, mader
    - German: Marder
- → Old French: martre
  - → Middle Dutch: marter, māerter
    - Dutch: marter