Re: Origin of *marko- = Brown Horse ?

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 57524
Date: 2008-04-17

patrick cuadrado pisze:

> there is color connexion between Celtic/Germanic Marko- = Horse
> and Celtic Marga/Margula = Mud/Marl

All we know about <marga> is what Pliny tells us -- that it was a
Gaulish word. How do you know that it was supposed to be a colour term?
It means 'marl', not 'brown' (typical marls are actually whitish-grey).

> Marko- can be a "Brown Horse"
> Marga = Margo = Marko-

[Sigh...] The 'dark' root occurs in Germanic as well (cf. Eng. murk, ON
myrkr < *merkWiz). However, it has *kW < *gW, not *x < *k, as in the
'horse' word, so there's no etymological relation, just an accidental
similarity. On the Celtic side, we have *mrixto- 'variegated' (OIr.
mrecht, MWel. brith), probably from *mr.gW-to- (see Matasovic'), which
would make it related to all those 'murky' words in Germanic, Baltic etc.

Piotr