Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/merkuz

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

From earlier *merkwuz, from Proto-Indo-European *(h₂)mer(H)gʷ- (“dark”), cognate to Proto-Slavic *mergъ (“brown”).^[1] Orr summarizes arguments for borrowing from common Slavic into common Germanic.^[2] (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Disagreement in the literature”) In any case, related to Proto-Slavic *morkъ (“darkness”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈmer.kuz/

Adjective

*merkuz^[3]

dark

Inflection

Declension of *merkuz (u-stem)
Strong declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*merkuz	*mirkwī	*merkų, -ijatō	*mirkwijai	*mirkwijôz	*mirkwijō
accusative	*mirkwijanǭ	*mirkwijǭ	*merkų, -ijatō	*mirkwijanz	*mirkwijōz	*mirkwijō
genitive	*mirkwijas, -īs	*mirkwijaizōz	*mirkwijas, -īs	*mirkwijaizǫ̂	*mirkwijaizǫ̂	*mirkwijaizǫ̂
dative	*mirkwijammai	*mirkwijaizōi	*mirkwijammai	*mirkwijaimaz	*mirkwijaimaz	*mirkwijaimaz
instrumental	*mirkwijanō	*mirkwijaizō	*mirkwijanō	*mirkwijaimiz	*mirkwijaimiz	*mirkwijaimiz

Weak declension
	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	*mirkwijô	*mirkwijǭ	*mirkwijô	*mirkwijaniz	*mirkwijōniz	*mirkwijōnō
accusative	*mirkwijanų	*mirkwijōnų	*mirkwijô	*mirkwijanunz	*mirkwijōnunz	*mirkwijōnō
genitive	*mirkwīniz	*mirkwijōniz	*mirkwīniz	*mirkwijanǫ̂	*mirkwijōnǫ̂	*mirkwijanǫ̂
dative	*mirkwīni	*mirkwijōni	*mirkwīni	*mirkwijammaz	*mirkwijōmaz	*mirkwijammaz
instrumental	*mirkwīnē	*mirkwijōnē	*mirkwīnē	*mirkwijammiz	*mirkwijōmiz	*mirkwijammiz

Related terms

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *mirkwī
- Old English: mirce, mierce
  - Middle English: mirke, merke
    - Scots: mirk, merk, mark
    - English: mirk, murk
- Old Saxon: mirki
Old Norse: myrkr
- Icelandic: myrkur
- Faroese: myrkur
- Norwegian Nynorsk: myrk, mørk
- Swedish: mörk
- Danish: mørk
- Norwegian Bokmål: mørk
→? Proto-Finnic: *mürkkü (“poison”) (see there for further descendants)

References

^ Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*merkwu-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 366
^ Orr, Robert A. (2003) “Murk: A Neglected Slavic Loanword in Germanic?”, in Canadian Slavonic Papers‎^[2], volume 45, number 1/2, pages 47–60
^ Vladimir Orel (2003) “merkwaz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[3], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 268

[1] Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*merkwu-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 366

[2] Orr, Robert A. (2003) “Murk: A Neglected Slavic Loanword in Germanic?”, in Canadian Slavonic Papers‎^[2], volume 45, number 1/2, pages 47–60

[HGE-3] Vladimir Orel (2003) “merkwaz”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎^[3], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 268

[1]

[2]

[3]