mare

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mare"

Languages (42)

English

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English

A mare

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *márkos

Proto-Germanic *marhaz

Proto-Germanic *-jō

Proto-Germanic *marhijō

Proto-West Germanic *marhijā

Old English miere

▲

Proto-Germanic *marhaz

Proto-West Germanic *marh

Old English mearh

Middle English mare

English mare

From Middle English mare, meare, meir, mer, mere, meyre, mure, from Old English mīere (“female horse, mare”), from Proto-West Germanic *marhijā, from Proto-Germanic *marhijō (“female horse”), from *marhaz (“horse”), from Proto-Indo-European *márkos (“horse”).

Cognates

Cognate with Scots mere (“mare”), Saterland Frisian Märe (“mare”), West Frisian merje (“mare”), Dutch merrie (“mare”), German Mähre (“female horse”), Danish mær (“old mare”), Faroese mer (“mare”), Icelandic meri (“mare”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk merr (“mare”), Swedish mæhr, mær, mähr, märr (“mare”); also Breton marc'h (“horse”), Cornish margh (“horse”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic marc (“horse”), Welsh march (“horse”).

Alternative forms

• meare (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /mɛə/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /mɛɹ/

  • Audio (Southern California):

    (file)

  • Audio (New Jersey):

    (file)

• (Australia) IPA^(key): /meː/
• (New Zealand, without the cheer–chair merger) IPA^(key): /meə/
• (New Zealand, cheer–chair merger) IPA^(key): /miə/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /meɹ/
• (Lancashire, fair–fur merger) IPA^(key): /mɜː(ɹ)/
• Homophones: mere (cheer–chair merger), myrrh (fair–fur merger)
• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

Noun

mare (plural mares)

2. An adult female horse.

   Antonyms: stallion, stud, gelding

   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:

     But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶ […] The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window at the old mare feeding in the meadow below by the brook, and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, […].

3. (UK, Ireland, derogatory, slang) A foolish woman.
   • 2007, Hester Browne, Little Lady, Big Apple:

     The silly mare phoned your mother, talking about applying for a mortgage, and we don't want that, do we?

Coordinate terms

• colt (“young male horse”)
• filly (“young female horse”)
• foal (“young horse”)
• pony (“small horse”)

Derived terms

• brood mare
• flying mare
• mare's fart
• Mare's Fart
• mare's leg
• mare's milk
• mare's nest
• Mares Run
• mare's tail
• mare's teat
• Premarin
• ride the three-legged mare
• seamare
• shanks' mare
• stud mare
• the grey mare is the better horse
• three-legged mare
• Three-legged mare
• two-legged mare
• wooden mare

Translations

female horse

• Abkhaz: аҽа́н (aĉán)
• Albanian: pelë (sq) f
• Andi: ича (iča)
• Arabic: حِجْر (ar) f (ḥijr), فَرَس f (faras)

  Egyptian Arabic: فرس f (faras)

  Moroccan Arabic: عودة f (ʕawda)

• Armenian: մատակ (hy) (matak), զամբիկ (hy) (zambik)
• Aromanian: iapã f
• Asturian: yegua (ast) f, burra (ast)
• Avar: гӏала (ʻala)
• Azerbaijani: madyan (az)
• Bashkir: бейә (biyä)
• Basque: behor (eu)
• Bats: ჴადალ (qadal)
• Belarusian: кабы́ла f (kabýla)
• Breton: kazeg (br) f
• Bulgarian: коби́ла (bg) f (kobíla)
• Burmese: မြင်းမ (my) (mrang:ma.)
• Buryat: гүүн (güün)
• Catalan: euga (ca) f, egua (ca) f
• Chechen: кхаьл (qäl)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 騍馬 / 骒马 (zh) (kèmǎ), 母馬 / 母马 (zh) (mǔmǎ)

• Chuvash: кӗсре (kĕsre)
• Crimean Tatar: baytal
• Czech: klisna (cs) f, kobyla (cs) f
• Danish: hoppe (da) c
• Dutch: merrie (nl) f
• East Yugur: gün
• Erzya: эльде (elde)
• Esperanto: ĉevalino
• Estonian: mära
• Fala: egua f (Lagarteiru, Mañegu), yegua f (Mañegu, Valverdeñu)
• Faroese: ryssa f, mer f
• Finnish: tamma (fi)
• Franco-Provençal: èga f, cavala f
• French: jument (fr) f
• Frisian:

  North Frisian: Ök (Sylt)

• Galician: egua (gl) f, egoa f, besta (gl) f, brégola f, faca (gl) f, facaneia f, marzoa f
• Georgian: ფაშატი (ka) (pašaṭi), ჭაკი (č̣aḳi), ხრდალი (xrdali)
• German: Stute (de) f, (obsolete) Mähre (de) f, Pferdeweibchen n
• Greek: φοράδα (el) f (foráda)

  Ancient Greek: ἵππος f (híppos)

• Guarani:

  Paraguayan Guarani: ^{(please verify)} kavaju kuña

• Hebrew: סוסה / סוּסָה f (susá)
• Hindi: घोड़ी f (ghoṛī)
• Hungarian: kanca (hu)
• Icelandic: hryssa (is) f, meri f
• Ido: kavalino (io)
• Ingush: кхал (qal)
• Interlingua: cavalla
• Irish: láir f

  Old Irish: láir f

• Italian: cavalla (it) f
• Japanese: 牝馬 (ja) (ひんば, hinba)
• Kabuverdianu: égua
• Kalmyk: ^{(please verify)} гүн (gün)
• Kazakh: бие (biye)
• Khakas: пии (pii)
• Korean: 암말 (ko) (ammal)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: مایین (ckb) (mayîn)

  Northern Kurdish: mahîn (ku) f, mehîn (ku) f

• Kyrgyz: бээ (ky) (bee)
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latgalian: kēve f
• Latin: equa (la) f
• Latvian: ķēve (lv) f
• Lithuanian: kumelė (lt) f
• Low German:

  German Low German: Tööt f

• Macedonian: ко́била f (kóbila)
• Malay: kuda betina, kuda betina dewasa
• Maltese: debba f
• Māori: hoiho uwha, hōiho uha
• Megleno-Romanian: iapă f
• Mongolian: гүү (mn) (güü)
• Navajo: łį́į́tsaʼii
• Norman: jeunment f (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hoppe (no) m or f, merr (no) m or f, hunnhest m

  Nynorsk: hoppe f, merr f, hohest m

• Occitan: èga (oc) f, cavala (oc) f
• Old Church Slavonic: кобꙑла f (kobyla)
• Old English: mīere f
• Old Norse: hryssa f, merr f, jalda f
• Ossetian: ефс (efs)
• Pashto: اسپه (ps) f (aspa)
• Persian: مادیان (fa) (mâdiyân)
• Plautdietsch: Kobbel f
• Polish: klacz (pl) f, kobyła (pl) f
• Portuguese: égua (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਘੋੜੀ (pa) f (ghoṛī)
• Romani: grasni f
• Romanian: iapă (ro) f
• Russian: кобы́ла (ru) f (kobýla)
• Scots: meir
• Scottish Gaelic: làir f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ко̀била f

  Latin: kòbila (sh)

• Shor: пей
• Sikkimese: རྒོདམ (rgodm)
• Slovak: kobyla (sk) f
• Slovene: kobíla (sl) f
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: kobyła f

  Upper Sorbian: kobła f

• Spanish: yegua (es) f, jaca (es) f
• Swedish: märr (sv) c, sto (sv) n
• Tajik: модиён (tg) (modiyon)
• Taos: yàwoʼóna
• Tatar: бия (tt) (biyä)
• Telugu: ఆడగుర్రం (te) (āḍagurraṁ), బడబ (te) (baḍaba)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: kısrak (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: قیصراق (kısrak), یوند (yund)

• Tuvan: бе (be), кызырак (kızırak)
• Ukrainian: коби́ла (uk) f (kobýla)
• Uyghur: بايتال (baytal), بىيە (biye)
• Uzbek: biya (uz)
• Vietnamese: ngựa cái
• Vilamovian: köwuł
• Volapük: jijevod (vo), jijeval (obsolete)
• Walloon: cavale (wa) f
• Welsh: caseg (cy) f
• Wolof: wajan wi
• Yakut: биэ (bie)

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *mer-

Proto-Indo-European *mor-der.

Proto-Germanic *marǭ

Proto-West Germanic *marā

Old English mare

Middle English mare

English mare

Inherited from Middle English mare, from Old English mare (“nightmare, monster”), from Proto-West Germanic *marā, from Proto-Germanic *marǭ (“nightmare, incubus”), from Proto-Indo-European *mor- (“feminine evil spirit”). Doublet of mara.

After becoming obsolete in its original usage, the term was recreated in modern colloquial speech as a clipping of the derived term nightmare.

Cognates

Akin to Dutch (dial.) mare, German (dial.) Mahr, Old Norse mara ( > Danish mare, Swedish mara (“incubus, nightmare”); also Old Irish Morrígan (“phantom queen”), Albanian merë (“horror”), Polish zmora (“nightmare”), Czech mura (“nightmare, moth”), Greek Μόρα (Móra).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /mɛə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /mɛɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
• Homophone: mayor (in a number of dialects)

Noun

mare (plural mares)

2. (obsolete or historical) A type of evil spirit formerly thought to sit on the chest of a sleeping person; also, the feeling of suffocation felt during sleep, attributed to such a spirit (likely a folkloric interpretation of sleep paralysis).
3. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, colloquial) A nightmare; a frustrating or terrible experience.

   I'm having a complete mare today.

Derived terms

• daymare
• nightmare

Translations

evil spirit

• Bulgarian: зъл дух m pl (zăl duh)
• Czech: můra (cs) f
• Danish: mare (da)
• Finnish: painajainen (fi), mara (fi), ajajainen
• German: Mahr (de) m or f, Alb (de) m, Nachtalb m, Drude (de) m
• Icelandic: mara (is)
• Italian: incubo (it) m
• Norwegian: mara
• Old Norse: mara
• Polish: mara (pl) f
• Slovak: mora f
• Swedish: mara (sv) c

frustrating or terrible experience

• Finnish: painajainen (fi)
• Italian: incubo (it) m

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Latin mare (“sea”), from Proto-Italic *mari, from Proto-Indo-European *móri, possibly from *mer-. Doublet of maar and mere (“a body of standing water”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑɹ.eɪ/, /ˈmɛɚ.i/, /ˈmɑɹ.i/
• Rhymes: -ɑɹi

Noun

mare (plural maria)

2. (planetology) A large, dark plain, which may have the appearance of a sea, such as those on the Moon.
3. (planetology) On Saturn's moon Titan, any of several lakes which are large expanses of what is thought to be liquid hydrocarbons.

   Kraken Mare (a lake of liquid hydrocarbons on Titan which is slightly larger than the Caspian Sea)

Translations

planetology: dark circular plain

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 月海 (jyut⁶ hoi²)

  Mandarin: 月海 (zh) (yuèhǎi)

• Finnish: meri (fi)
• German: Mare (de) n
• Indonesian: mare (id), maria (id)
• Italian: mare (it) m
• Portuguese: mar (pt) m
• Russian: мо́ре (ru) n (móre)
• Turkish: deniz (tr)
• Vietnamese: biển Mặt Trăng

Etymology 4

See mayor.

Noun

mare (plural mares)

1. Obsolete form of mayor.
2. Obsolete form of mair.

Anagrams

• mera, Amer., rame, mear, Erma, Maer, Mera, Ream, amer., Arem, arme, ramé, ream

Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈre/ [mʌˈɾɛ]
• Hyphenation: ma‧re

Noun

maré f (singulative maréyta m or mareytá f)

1. family, relationship

Declension

Declension of maré
absolutive	maré
predicative	maré
subjective	maré
genitive	maré
Postpositioned forms l-case marél k-case marék t-case marét h-case maréh

Verb

maré

1. (Northern Afar, intransitive) live
2. (Northern Afar, intransitive) continue

Conjugation

Conjugation of mare (type II verb)
		1st singular	2nd singular	3rd singular		1st plural	2nd plural	3rd plural
				m	f
perfective	V-affirmative	maréh	martéh	maréh	martéh	marréh	marteeníh	mareeníh
	N-affirmative	maré	marté	maré	marté	marré	martén	marén
	negative	mámarinniyo	mámarinnito	mámarinna	mámarinna	mámarinnino	mámarinniton	mámarinnon
imperfective	V-affirmative	maráh	martáh	maráh	martáh	marráh	martaanáh	maraanáh
	N-affirmative	mará	martá	mará	martá	marrá	martán	marán
	negative	mámara	mámarta	mámara	mámarta	mámarra	mámartan	mámaran
prospective	V-affirmative	maréliyoh maréyyoh	marélitoh maréttoh	maréleh	maréleh	marélinoh marénnoh	marélitoonuh maréttoonuh	maréloonuh
	N-affirmative	maréliyo maréyyo	marélito marétto	maréle	maréle	marélino marénno	maréliton marétton	marélon
conjunctive I	V-affirmative	máruh	mártuh	máruh	mártuh	máruh	martóonuh	maróonuh
	N-affirmative	máru	mártu	máru	mártu	máru	martón	marón
	negative	maré wáyuh	maré wáytuh	maré wáyuh	maré wáytuh	maré wáynuh	maré waytóonuh	maré wóonuh
conjunctive II	V-affirmative	maránkeh	martánkeh	maránkeh	martánkeh	marránkeh	martaanánkeh	maraanánkeh
	N-affirmative	maránke	martánke	maránke	martánke	marránke	martaanánke	maraanánke
	negative	maré wáankeh	maré waytánkeh	maré wáankeh	maré waytánkeh	maré waynánkeh	maré waytaanánkeh	maré wáankeh
jussive	affirmative	máray	mártay	máray	mártay	márray	martóonay	maróonay
	negative	maré wáay	maré wáytay	maré wáay	maré wáytay	maré wáynay	maré waytóonay	maré wóonay
past conditional	affirmative	marinniyóy	marinnitóy	marinnáy	marinnáy	marinninóy	marinnitoonúy	marinnoonúy
	negative	maré wanniyóy	maré wannitóy	maré wannáy	maré wannáy	maré wanninóy	maré wannitoonúy	maré wanninoonúy
present conditional I	affirmative	marék	marték	marék	marték	marrék	marteeník	mareeník
	negative	maré wéek	maré wayték	maré wéek	maré wayték	maré waynék	maré wayteeník	maré weeník
		singular	plural			singular	plural
consultative	affirmative	maróo	marróo	imperative	affirmative	már	mára
	negative	mamaróo	mamarróo		negative	mámarin	mámarina
-h converb	-i form	-k converb	-in(n)uh converb	-innuk converb	infinitive	indefinite participle
						V-focus	N-focus
márah	mári	márak	marínnuh	marínnuk	maríyya	marináanih	marináan
Compound tenses dependent verb sequential perfective + -m simultaneous imperfective + -m past perfect affirmative perfective + perfective of én or sugé present perfect affirmative perfective + imperfective of én future perfect affirmative perfective + prospective of sugé past progressive -k converb + imperfective of én or sugé present progressive affirmative imperfect + imperfective of én future progressive -k converb + prospective of sugé immediate future affirmative conjunctive I + imperfective of wée imperfect potential I affirmative conjunctive I + imperfective of takké imperfect potential II affirmative imperfective + -m + takké negative maré + imperfective of wée + -m + takké perfect potential affirmative perfective + -m + takké negative maré + perfective of wée + -m + takké present conditional II affirmative imperfective + object pronoun + tekkék negative maré + perfective of wée + object pronoun + tekkék perfect conditional affirmative perfective + imperfective of sugé + -k negative perfective + sugé + imperfective of wée -k irrealis maré + perfective of xaaxé or raaré

Related terms

• mára (“people”)

References

• E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985), “mare”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
• Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015), L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎^[3], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Albanian

Alternative forms

• marë, marulë

Etymology

Plurale tantum; plural of variant marë, borrowed through Vulgar Latin from Latin marum (“cat thyme, kind of sage”).

Noun

mare f (definite marja)

1. strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)
2. strawberry tree fruit

Derived terms

• mareshtë

Aromanian

Adjective

mare

1. alternative form of mari

Catalan

Etymology

From Old Catalan mare, from Latin māter, mātrem, from Proto-Italic *mātēr, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr. Compare Occitan maire, French mère, Spanish madre, Italian madre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [ˈma.ɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈma.ɾe]

• Audio (Valencia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾe

Noun

mare f (plural mares)

1. mother

   mare subrogada ― surrogate mother

2. uterus (of an animal)

   Synonym: úter

3. (by analogy) main course of a river or canal; channel
4. (Mallorca, playground games) home

Derived terms

• cèl·lula mare
• Dia de la Mare
• emmarat
• marededeu

References

• “mare”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “mare”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “mare” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “mare”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Central Bikol

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ma‧re
• IPA^(key): /ˈmaɾe/ [ˈma.ɾe]

Verb

máre

1. misspelling of mari

Corsican

Alternative forms

• mari

Etymology

From Latin mare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.re/

Noun

mare m

1. sea

Further reading

• “mare” in INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse mara.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːɑ/

Noun

mare c (singular definite maren, plural indefinite marer)

1. (folklore) a mare (an evil spirit)

Declension

Declension of mare

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mare	maren	marer	marerne
genitive	mares	marens	marers	marernes

Related terms

• mareridt n

References

• “mare” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch mâre, from Old Dutch māri, from Proto-West Germanic *mārī (“story”).

Noun

mare f (plural maren, diminutive maartje n)

1. (Belgium, archaic) message, report, story

   Synonyms: bericht, tijding, verslag, verhaal

2. (archaic) rumor

   Synonym: gerucht

Related terms

• vermaren

Etymology 2

Probably from Medieval Latin mara (“standing water”), from Latin mare (“sea”). Doublet of Maar and Meer.

Noun

mare f (plural maren, diminutive maartje n)

1. depression in non-volcanic stone

   Coordinate term: maar

Etymology 3

From Middle Dutch māre (“incubus”), from Old Dutch *mara, from Proto-West Germanic *marā, from Proto-Germanic *marǭ.

Noun

mare f (plural mares, diminutive maartje n)

1. a nocturnal monster or spirit that torments its victims while they are sleeping
2. (Belgium) nightmare
3. witch

Derived terms

• nachtmare

Related terms

• maretak

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

mare

1. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of maren

Anagrams

• arme, rame

Finnish

Etymology

Compare mairea, kare, perhaps a blend.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑreˣ/, [ˈmɑ̝re̞(ʔ)]
• Rhymes: -ɑre
• Syllabification^(key): ma‧re
• Hyphenation^(key): ma‧re

Noun

mare

1. (dated or dialectal) (slight, faint) smile

Declension

Inflection of mare (Kotus type 48/hame, no gradation)
nominative		mare	mareet
genitive		mareen	mareiden mareitten
partitive		maretta	mareita
illative		mareeseen	mareisiin mareihin
		singular	plural
nominative		mare	mareet
accusative	nom.	mare	mareet
	gen.	mareen
genitive		mareen	mareiden mareitten
partitive		maretta	mareita
inessive		mareessa	mareissa
elative		mareesta	mareista
illative		mareeseen	mareisiin mareihin
adessive		mareella	mareilla
ablative		mareelta	mareilta
allative		mareelle	mareille
essive		mareena	mareina
translative		mareeksi	mareiksi
abessive		mareetta	mareitta
instructive		—	marein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of mare (Kotus type 48/hame, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mareeni mareeni accusative nom. mareeni mareeni gen. mareeni genitive mareeni mareideni mareitteni partitive marettani mareitani inessive mareessani mareissani elative mareestani mareistani illative mareeseeni mareisiini mareihini adessive mareellani mareillani ablative mareeltani mareiltani allative mareelleni mareilleni essive mareenani mareinani translative mareekseni mareikseni abessive mareettani mareittani instructive — — comitative — mareineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative mareesi mareesi accusative nom. mareesi mareesi gen. mareesi genitive mareesi mareidesi mareittesi partitive marettasi mareitasi inessive mareessasi mareissasi elative mareestasi mareistasi illative mareeseesi mareisiisi mareihisi adessive mareellasi mareillasi ablative mareeltasi mareiltasi allative mareellesi mareillesi essive mareenasi mareinasi translative mareeksesi mareiksesi abessive mareettasi mareittasi instructive — — comitative — mareinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mareemme mareemme accusative nom. mareemme mareemme gen. mareemme genitive mareemme mareidemme mareittemme partitive marettamme mareitamme inessive mareessamme mareissamme elative mareestamme mareistamme illative mareeseemme mareisiimme mareihimme adessive mareellamme mareillamme ablative mareeltamme mareiltamme allative mareellemme mareillemme essive mareenamme mareinamme translative mareeksemme mareiksemme abessive mareettamme mareittamme instructive — — comitative — mareinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mareenne mareenne accusative nom. mareenne mareenne gen. mareenne genitive mareenne mareidenne mareittenne partitive marettanne mareitanne inessive mareessanne mareissanne elative mareestanne mareistanne illative mareeseenne mareisiinne mareihinne adessive mareellanne mareillanne ablative mareeltanne mareiltanne allative mareellenne mareillenne essive mareenanne mareinanne translative mareeksenne mareiksenne abessive mareettanne mareittanne instructive — — comitative — mareinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative mareensa mareensa accusative nom. mareensa mareensa gen. mareensa genitive mareensa mareidensa mareittensa partitive marettaan marettansa mareitaan mareitansa inessive mareessaan mareessansa mareissaan mareissansa elative mareestaan mareestansa mareistaan mareistansa illative mareeseensa mareisiinsa mareihinsa adessive mareellaan mareellansa mareillaan mareillansa ablative mareeltaan mareeltansa mareiltaan mareiltansa allative mareelleen mareellensa mareilleen mareillensa essive mareenaan mareenansa mareinaan mareinansa translative mareekseen mareeksensa mareikseen mareiksensa abessive mareettaan mareettansa mareittaan mareittansa instructive — — comitative — mareineen mareinensa

French

Etymology

From Middle French mare, from Old French mare, from Old Norse marr (“lake, sea, pool”), from Proto-Germanic *mari (“lake, sea”), from Proto-Indo-European *móri. Doublet of mer inherited from Latin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maʁ/ ~ /mɑʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

mare f (plural mares)

1. puddle
2. pool
   • 1857, Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary […]‎^[4], Paris: Michel Lévy Frères:

     La cour allait en montant; plantée d'arbres symétriquement espacés, et le bruit gai d'un troupeau d'oies retentissait près de la mare.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• pavé dans la mare

Further reading

• “mare”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• amer
• arme, armé
• rame, ramé

Indonesian

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin mare (“sea”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈmarə/ [ˈma.rə]
• Syllabification: ma‧re

Noun

marê (plural mare-mare)

1. (planetology) mare (a large, dark plain, which may have the appearance of a sea, such as those on the Moon)

Alternative forms

• maria

Further reading

• “mare”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Istriot

Etymology 1

From Latin mare.

Noun

mare

1. sea
   • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 99:

     Cume li va puleîto in alto mare!

     How they row well on the high seas!

Derived terms

• alto mare

Etymology 2

From Latin māter.

Noun

mare f

1. mother

See also

• mama

Italian

Alternative forms

• mar (apocopic)

Etymology

Inherited from Latin mare, from Proto-Italic *mari, from Proto-Indo-European *móri.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.re/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (il mare):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -are
• Hyphenation: mà‧re

Noun

mare m (plural mari, relational adjective marittimo or marino)

1. sea

Related terms

• ammarare
• frutto di mare
• lupo di mare
• marea
• mareggiata
• maremoto
• maretta
• marina
• marinaio
• marinara
• marinare
• marittimo

See also

• oceano (“ocean”)

Further reading

• “mare”, in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• “mare”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Anagrams

• Mera, arme, erma, mera, rame, rema

Japanese

Romanization

mare

1. Rōmaji transcription of まれ

Latin

mare

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈma.rɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈmaː.re]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Italic *mari, from Proto-Indo-European *móri.

Noun

mare n (genitive maris); third declension

1. sea
   • c. 270 BCE – c. 201 BCE, Gnaeus Naevius, Bellum Punicum (fragment in Priscian, Institutiones Grammaticae, 7, De genetivo plurali tertiae declinationis):

     Neptunum regnatorem marum

     Neptune, ruler of the seas

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 5.1:

     [facit...] ad onera ac multitudinem iumentorum transportandam paulo latiores quam quibus in reliquis utimur maribus.

     In order to transport cargo and beasts of burden, he [Julius Caesar] had them made a little wider than the ones we use in other seas.

   • 13th c., Roger Bacon, Secretum Secretorum 2.29 (De preparacione carnum viperarum sive serpentum et draconum):

     Et oportet ut alienentur cornute et varie et aspides declines ad albedinem. Et non capiantur ex piscinis vel litoribus fluviorum et aquarum vel marium, vel de petrosis, quoniam in eis sunt quercine, facientes sitim, immo capiantur in loco longinquo ab humorositate.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1921, Joseph Pope, George Monro Grant, Canada's official motto:

     a marī usque ad mare

     from sea to sea

Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, pure i-stem).

	singular	plural
nominative	mare	maria
genitive	maris	marium marum
dative	marī	maribus
accusative	mare	maria
ablative	marī mare	maribus
vocative	mare	maria

• The genitive plural form marium, although regularly formed for an i-stem noun, is not attested in the corpus of classical texts. Marum is found only once, in a line from Gnaeus Naevius. According to Schrijver, this form could be taken as evidence of an earlier consonant stem form, though—given that the i-stem flexion is shared with other Indo-European cognates—it is likely more archaic.
• The 5th/6th-century grammarian Priscian (Institutiones 7) says it is rarely used in the genitive plural, noting Caesar's use of maribus too. Similarly, the 4th-century grammarian Charisius claims it lacks both a genitive plural *marium and a *maribus form (but see the quotation from Julius Caesar above):

  "maria" tamen quamvis dicantur pluraliter, attamen nec "marium" nec "maribus" dicemus
  — although maria can be said in the plural, nevertheless we won't say marium nor maribus (Ars 1.11).

Synonyms

• pontus

Hyponyms

• Caspium mare
• Mare Aegaeum
• Mare Balticum
• Mare Caribaeum
• Mare Caribicum
• Mare Germanicum
• Mare Hadriāticum
• Mare Internum
• Mare Ionium
• Mare Mediterrāneum
• Mare Nostrum
• Mare Rubrum
• Tyrrhēnum mare

Derived terms

• bimaris
• Mare Hibērnicum
• mariambulus
• marīnus
• maritimēnsis
• maritimus
• maritumus

Descendants

• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: mare, mari
• Balkano-Romance:
  • Aromanian: amari, amare, mari
  • Istro-Romanian: måre
  • Megleno-Romanian: mari
  • Romanian: mare f
• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Corsican: mare
    • Gallurese: mari
    • Sassarese: mari
  • Dalmatian: mur
  • Istriot: mare
  • Italian: mare
  • Neapolitan: mare
  • Sicilian: mari
  • Venetan: mar
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: mâr
  • Romansh: mar, mer
• Gallo-Italic:
  • Emilian: mèr
  • Ligurian: mâ, mà
  • Lombard: mar
  • Piedmontese: mar
  • Romagnol: mêr
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Old Catalan: mar
    • Catalan: mar m or f
  • Old French: mer f
    • French: mer
      • ⇒ Antillean Creole: lanmè
      • ⇒ Guianese Creole: lanmè
      • ⇒ Haitian Creole: lanmè
      • ⇒ Mauritian Creole: lamer
      • Réunion Creole French: mèr
      • → Volapük: mel
    • Norman: mé (Jersey)
    • Walloon: mer
  • Old Occitan: mar
    • Occitan: mar, mer
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: mar
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: mar m, mare
    • Galician: mar m
    • Portuguese: mar m (see there for further descendants)
  • Old Leonese: *mar
    • Asturian: mar
    • Extremaduran: mari
    • Mirandese: mar
  • Old Spanish: mar
    • Ladino: mar
    • Spanish: mar m or f
      • → Aymara: lamara
      • → Classical Nahuatl: láma̱r
      • → Papiamentu: lama, laman
• Borrowings:
  • → English: mare
  • → Esperanto: maro
    • Ido: maro
  • → Interlingua: mar

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

mare

1. ablative singular of mās

Adjective

mare

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of mās

Further reading

• mare in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• mare in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Anagrams

• mera

Marau

Noun

mare

1. water

References

• The Linguistic Situation in the Islands of Yapen, Kurudu, Nau and Miosnum, New Guinea (1961)

Middle Dutch

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch *māri, from Proto-West Germanic *mārī.

Adjective

mâre

1. famous, famed
2. honoured, prestigious
3. well-known

Inflection

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

Etymology 2

From Old Dutch māri, from Proto-Germanic *mēriją, related to Etymology 1 above.

Noun

mâre f

1. fame, famousness
2. rumour
3. message

Inflection

Weak feminine noun

	singular	plural
nominative	mâre	mâren
accusative	mâre	mâren
genitive	mâre, mâren	mâren
dative	mâre, mâren	mâren

Descendants

• Dutch: maar, mare
• Limburgish: maer

Etymology 3

From Old Dutch *mara, from Proto-West Germanic *marā.

Noun

māre f or m

1. mare, nightmare (evil spirit)

Inflection

Weak feminine noun

	singular	plural
nominative	māre	māren
accusative	māre	māren
genitive	māre, māren	māren
dative	māre, māren	māren

Weak masculine noun

	singular	plural
nominative	māre	māren
accusative	māre	māren
genitive	māren	māren
dative	māre	māren

Descendants

• Dutch: maar, mare
• Limburgish: maar

Further reading

• “mare (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “mare (IV)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “mare (V)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “mare (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “mare (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page II
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “mare (III)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page III

Middle English

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *márkos

Proto-Germanic *marhaz

Proto-Germanic *-jō

Proto-Germanic *marhijō

Proto-West Germanic *marhijā

Old English miere

▲

Proto-Germanic *marhaz

Proto-West Germanic *marh

Old English mearh

Middle English mare

Originally two distinct nouns:

• Old English miere (Anglian Old English mære, mere), from Proto-West Germanic *marhijā, from Proto-Germanic *marhijō.
• Old English mearh, from Proto-West Germanic *marh, from Proto-Germanic *marhaz, with the final vowel and semantics of miere.

Alternative forms

• meare (AB language); mure (Early Middle English, Southern)
• meir, mer, meyre (Northern, Northeast Midland)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaːr(ə)/ (from mear-, oblique stem of mearh)
• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛ̞ːr(ə)/ (from mere)
• IPA^(key): /ˈmyr(ə)/ (Southern, from miere)

Noun

mare (plural mares)

1. A horse (member of the species Equus ferus)
2. A mare (female horse or other equine)
3. (derogatory, rare) A woman or effeminate man.

Descendants

• English: mare
• Middle Scots: meir
  • Scots: meir, meer, mere, mear

References

• “mēre, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “mare, n.¹”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• Goering, Nelson (30 July 2025), “A sound change that never was: h-loss and vowel lengthening in Old English”, in English Language & Linguistics, Cambridge University Press, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 1-21.
• Zettersten, Arne (1965), “meare (sb.)”, in Studies in the dialect and vocabulary of the Ancrene Riwle (Lund Studies in English; 34)‎^[5], Lund: C. W. K. Gleerup, →OCLC, page 57.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old English mare (“nightmare, monster”), from Proto-West Germanic *marā, from Proto-Germanic *marǭ (“nightmare, incubus”), from Proto-Indo-European *mor- (“feminine evil spirit”).

The form mere is either by analogy with mere, variant of mare (“horse, mare”) or by confusion with mere.

Alternative forms

• mere

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaːr(ə)/

Noun

mare (plural mares)

1. An evil spirit believed to be active during the night.

   Synonym: nyghtmare (non-Northern)

Descendants

• English: mare
• Middle Scots: mare, mair, maire
  • Scots: mare
  • Shetland: mare
• → Anglo-Norman: mare

References

• “māre, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “mare, n.²”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Etymology 3

Verb

mare

1. (Lancashire) alternative form of merren

Munggui

Noun

mare

1. water

References

• The Linguistic Situation in the Islands of Yapen, Kurudu, Nau and Miosnum, New Guinea (1961)

Murui Huitoto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmaɾɛ]
• Hyphenation: ma‧re

Etymology 1

mare
Root	Classifier
mare-	-e

Noun

mare

1. (attributive) good

Declension

Declension of mare

	singular	plural
absolutive	mare	—
nominative	maredɨ	—
accusative	marena	—
dative/locative	maremo	—
ablative	maremona	—
instrumental	maredo	—
causal	mareri	—
privative	marenino	—
sequential	marenona	—

Etymology 2

Root

mare

1. good, proper

Derived terms

• maremɨe

References

• Shirley Burtch (1983), Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20)‎^[6] (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 173
• Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017), A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia.‎^[7], Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 537

Neapolitan

Etymology

From Latin mare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmarə/

Noun

mare ?

1. sea (a vast mass of salty water)

Norman

Alternative forms

• mathe (Jersey)
• mar (Sark)

Etymology

From Old French mare.

Noun

mare f (plural mares)

1. (continental, Guernsey) pool
   • 1903, Edgar MacCulloch, “Proverbs, Weather Sayings, etc.”, in Guernsey Folk Lore‎^[8], page 534:

     Si le soleil est rouage au sèr, / Ch'est pour biau temps aver, / S'il est rouage au matin, / Ch'est la mare au chemin.

     If the sun sets red, it is a sign of fine weather, but when he rises red, you may expect pools of water on the road.

Northern Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *màtáì.

Noun

mare

1. saliva

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse mara.

Noun

mare f or m (definite singular mara or maren, indefinite plural marer, definite plural marene)

1. (folklore) a mare (an evil spirit)

Derived terms

• mareritt (“nightmare”)

References

• “mare” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Anagrams

• arme, armé, erma

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse mara f.

Alternative forms

• Mara, mara, maru, muru, murru (dialectal)

Noun

mare f (definite singular mara, indefinite plural marer, definite plural marene)

1. (folklore) a mare (an evil spirit)

Derived terms

• marekors (“pentagram”)
• marekvist (“a witch's broom”)
• mareritt (“nightmare”)
• marespjeld
• (probably derived) innmari

Etymology 2

From Old Norse merja (“to crush”).

Alternative forms

• mara (split or a-infinitive)

Verb

mare (present tense marar, past tense mara, past participle mara, passive infinitive marast, present participle marande, imperative mare/mar)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• “mare” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• arme, armé, erma, rame, rema

Old English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *mer-

Proto-Indo-European *mor-der.

Proto-Germanic *marǭ

Proto-West Germanic *marā

Old English mare

From Proto-West Germanic *marā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑ.re/

Noun

mare f (nominative plural maran)

1. mare (evil spirit thought to torment people in their sleep)

Declension

Weak n-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	mare	maran
accusative	maran	maran
genitive	maran	marena
dative	maran	marum

Derived terms

• *nihtmare

Descendants

• Middle English: mare, mere
  • English: mare
  • Middle Scots: mare, mair, maire
    • Scots: mare
    • Shetland: mare
  • → Anglo-Norman: mare

Old French

Alternative forms

• mar

Etymology

From Middle Dutch mare (“phantom, spirit”).

Adjective

mare m (feminine mare)

1. evil; bad

Adverb

mare

1. evilly; badly

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀫𑀭𑁂 (Brahmi script)
• मरे (Devanagari script)
• মরে (Bengali script)
• මරෙ (Sinhalese script)
• မရေ (Burmese script)
• มเร or มะเร (Thai script)
• ᨾᩁᩮ (Tai Tham script)
• ມເຣ or ມະເຣ (Lao script)
• មរេ (Khmer script)
• 𑄟𑄢𑄬 (Chakma script)

Verb

mare

1. singular optative active of marati (“to die”)

Papuma

Noun

mare

1. water

References

• The Linguistic Situation in the Islands of Yapen, Kurudu, Nau and Miosnum, New Guinea (1961)

Portuguese

Verb

mare

1. inflection of marar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

Alternative forms

• ма́рє — pre-1860s Cyrillic spelling

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.re/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -are

Etymology 1

Most likely inherited from Latin maiōrem, accusative singular of Latin maior, through a Common Romanian intermediate *maure, akin to Dalmatian maur. The shift from /au/ to /a/ is caused by syncope. Compare Aromanian mari, Megleno-Romanian mari, and the aforementioned Dalmatian maur. See also Portuguese mor, Logudorese mere and Campidanese meri. This would make the word a doublet of maior and major.

For other examples of this syncope in particular, see Romanian căta, regional variant of Romanian căuta, Sardinian laru (dialectal), from Latin laurus; Friulian fari, from Latin faber (unlike Ladin faure); et cetera.

An alternative, less likely theory proposes a derivation from Latin marem (“male”), with a semantic shift from "male" to "large", on an idiomatic basis (i.e. assuming that the expression "s-a făcut mare", meaning "[3rd-pers. sg.] grew up" [literally "made themselves big"] initially referred exclusively to boys becoming men, and that it shifted over time to refer more broadly to physical growth, and by extension, being large). Other theories include a derivation from its homonym mare (meaning sea), and a substrate origin (either Proto-Albanian or Thraco-Dacian).

Adjective

mare m or f or n (plural mari)

1. big, large, great

   Antonym: mic

   O mare mare. ― A big sea.

2. great, mighty

   Un om mare. ― A great man.

Inflection

Declension of mare

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	mare		mare	mari	mari
	definite	marele		marea	marii	marile
genitive- dative	indefinite	mare		mari	mari	mari
	definite	marelui		marii	marilor	marilor

Derived terms

• mări
• mărime
• mărinimos

Related terms

• măreț

Etymology 2

From Latin mare, from Proto-Italic *mari, from Proto-Indo-European *móri.

Noun

mare f (plural mări)

1. sea

   Când am mers la mare, am înotat un pic și mai târziu am prins un pește mare.

   When I went to sea, I swam a little and later caught a big fish.

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	mare	marea	mări	mările
genitive-dative	mări	mării	mări	mărilor
vocative	mare, mareo		mărilor

Related terms

• marin

Sardinian

Alternative forms

• mari (“Campidanese”)

Etymology

From Latin mare. Compare Italian mare.

Noun

mare m (plural mares)

1. sea

Sonsorolese

Noun

mare

1. boy

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaɾe/ [ˈma.ɾe]
• Rhymes: -aɾe
• Syllabification: ma‧re

Noun

mare f (plural mares)

1. alternative form of madre, used in asu mare

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• mars

Etymology

Clipping of kumare, earlier variant of komadre.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈmaɾe/ [ˈmaː.ɾɛ]
• Rhymes: -aɾe
• Syllabification: ma‧re

Noun

mare (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜇᜒ) (slang)

1. close female friend; sister

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:kaibigan

   Coordinate terms: brad, pare, tol

   Ano'ng tsika, mare?

   What's the buzz, sister?

See also

• amiga
• marites

References

• “mare”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• Zorc, R. David; San Miguel, Rachel (1993), Tagalog Slang Dictionary‎^[9], Manila: De La Salle University Press, →ISBN

Tahitian

Noun

mare

1. (archaic) cough

Usage notes

Use hota.

Ternate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.ɾe/

Noun

mare

1. alternative form of mari (“stone”)

References

• Frederik Sigismund Alexander de Clercq (1890), Bijdragen tot de kennis der Residentie Ternate, E.J. Brill

Turkish

Etymology

Derived from Bulgarian мари (mari).

Noun

mare (definite accusative mareyi, plural mareler) (dialectal, Dobrich)

1. Used when addressing a female, usually as an intensifier, but seldom used independently.

Venda

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *màtáì.

Noun

mare

1. saliva

Venetan

Pronunciation

• (Venetian) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ɾe/

Etymology 1

From Latin mater.

Noun

mare f (invariable)

1. mother

Etymology 2

From Latin mare.

Noun

mare

1. sea

Zazaki

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic مارا.

Noun

mare m or f

1. marriage