𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌿𐍃

Gothic

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μαργαρίτης (margarítēs), possibly via Latin. Apparently modified by folk-etymological association with 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹 (marei, “sea”); although the second element -kreitus is less readily explained, its devoicing may result from the same process that yielded 𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌺𐍃 (krēks, “Greek”) (from Latin graecus) with its devoiced initial consonant.

The sole attested form, marikreitum, has been surmised to be a misspelling of *marikreitōm, dative plural to a feminine noun *marikreita, which would support a borrowing from Latin margarīta instead a direct derivation from the Greek form. This, however, remains uncertain.

Compare Old High German merigrioz, Old Saxon merigriota, merigrīta, Old English meregrot, meregrēot, all meaning "pearl" and folk-etymologically adapted to their languages' respective reflexes of Proto-Germanic *mari (“sea”).

Noun

𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌿𐍃 • (marikreitus) m

1. (hapax legomenon) pearl

Declension

Masculine/feminine u-stem

	singular	plural
nominative	𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌿𐍃 marikreitus	𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌾𐌿𐍃 marikreitjus
vocative	𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌿 marikreitau	𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌾𐌿𐍃 marikreitjus
accusative	𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌿 marikreitu	𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌿𐌽𐍃 marikreituns
genitive	𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌿𐍃 marikreitaus	𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌹𐍅𐌴 marikreitiwē
dative	𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌿 marikreitau	𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌿𐌼 marikreitum

References

• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), “M30. *marikreitus”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 245