Lakes of the Lake District: Difference between revisions
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==Etymology==
Before we move on, let's have a quick look at where these words are derived.
===The origin of "mere"===
The word ''mere'' comes from Old English ''[https://bosworthtoller.com/22650 mere]'', meaning a "lake" or a "pool". In compound words it could also mean "sea". It is interesting to note how the word, from its earliest root through to present day, has very similar meanings, not only through time but also across a broad spectrum of European countries.
From the original reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root word ''[[wiktionary:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/móri|*móri]]'', which means
*Proto-Germanic ''[[wiktionary:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/mari|*mari]]'' → sea, ocean, lake, body of water
*Proto-West-Germanic ''[[wiktionary:Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/mari|*mari]]'' → sea or lake
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It should be noted that Old English ''mere'' also corresponds with Old Frisian ''mere'', Old Saxon ''meri'', Old Dutch ''*meri'' and Old High German ''meri''. It is cognate with West Frisian ''[[wiktionary:mar#Etymology_2_6|mar]]'', Dutch ''[[wiktionary:meer#Dutch|meer]]'', and German ''[[wiktionary:Meer#German|Meer]]''. Like the English lineage above, they also derive from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic ''*mari''.
The Proto-Indo-European root ''[[wiktionary:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/móri|*móri]]'' spawned similar words in other European languages too:
The Indo-European root *''mori'' spawned similar words in other European languages too: Italian ''[[wiktionary:mare#Italian|mare]]'', Spanish ''[[wiktionary:mar#Spanish|mar]]'', French ''[[wiktionary:mer#French|mer]]''; Old Celtic ''*mori'', Irish ''[[wiktionary:muir|muir]]'', Welsh ''[[wiktionary:môr#Welsh|môr]]'', Breton ''[[wiktionary:mor#Breton|mor]]'', Cornish ''[[wiktionary:mor#Cornish|mor]]'', all of which mean "sea" in various forms. However, in the English lineage, the larger sense of "sea" has been obsolete since Middle English.<ref>{{oed|title1=mere|title2=Mere|day=22|month=January|year=2022}}</ref> ▼
*From Latin ''[[wiktionary:mare#Latin|mare]]'': Italian ''[[wiktionary:mare#Italian|mare]]'', Spanish ''[[wiktionary:mar#Spanish|mar]]'', French ''[[wiktionary:mer#French|mer]]'', Portuguese ''[[wiktionary:mar#Portuguese|mar]]'';
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''Mere'' in the present instance refers to the names [[Buttermere]], [[Grasmere]], [[Kentmere]], [[Thirlmere]] and [[Windermere]], which are recorded from the late 12th or 13th century and would generally mean lake. The term "water" is used more often for the larger of the lakes<ref>Whaley, p.411</ref> although this is not strictly so as [[Blea Water]] is a tarn and smaller than all of the big lakes, with the exception of Elter Water.
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