Etymograph

English

mair

Mair comes from Old English māra ‘more’, from Proto-Germanic *mikilaz ‘great, large’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méǵh₂s1‘big, great’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mikilaz2as *maizô‘great, large’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150māra2‘more’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mair2
  5. Englishtodaymair2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *mikilaz
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English mair

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méǵh₂sWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *mikilaz‘big, great’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mikilazWiktionary, English mairas *maizô‘great, large’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150māraWiktionary, English mair‘more’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mairWiktionary, English mair
  5. EnglishtodaymairWiktionary, English mair

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s ‘big, great’

major, master, mayor, magnitude, magnum, maxim, magnate, magnify, maggiore, mahila, 15 more

through Proto-Germanic *mikilaz ‘great, large’

much, mickle, muckle

through Old English māra ‘more’

more

Today it means

adj more

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mair”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Germanic *mikilaz. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s / mair

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