Re: [tied] OF "Mare"

On Tue, 24 Jun 2003 21:08:58 +0200, alex <alxmoeller@...> wrote:

>m_iacomi wrote:
>>>>
>>> The evidence for "mare"= great is even in OE in Glosarum saxonicum.
>>
>> Where exactly?!
>
>well, the texts which i have here should be after the edition of 1840 of
>Glosarium saxonicum and it should be found as follow:
>
>lat. famosus = sax. "mâri" ( p.151 I)
>lat. gloria = sax. mâri/tha ( p. 153 I)
>lat. illustris = mâri ( p. 154 I)

Yes, I know Germanic mâri means "famous".

>In OE should be found more as follow:
>
>mare, mara= large, great

That's ma:ra "greater"(> ModE "more"), mae:st "greatest" (> ModE "most"),
the comparative and superlative of micel "great".

The Germanic words do not mean "great", although they are etymologically
connected to Celtic *mo:r (OIr mór, már "great", We. mawr "great").

If you want to make a case for a Celtic origin of Rom. mare "great", why
don't you make it? French and Germanic have nothing to do with it.

>In the chornicle od dux of Normandia the word should appear too as:
>"li Maire, li plus forz"= the biggest, the stronggest.

That's from Latin maior, the comparative of magnus. O.F. nom. li maire,
acc. lo major (> le majeur).


=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
mcv@...