Hungarian Historical Phonology mered

''mered 'emporragen; starren, erstarren'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

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Important dialectal forms

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Uralic/Ugric/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

(Disputed:)

Abondolo 1996: 38, No. 66: *mirV- 'becomes narrow/stiff'

MSzFE, UEW: PUg *merɜ- (märɜ-)- 'press, push; become narrow, contract; pressen, drängen, sich verengen'

Status of the Ugric etymology

Unclear

Loan etymology

None suggested

Cognates suggested in earlier research

MSzFE, UEW, Abondolo 1996:

Khanty: East (Vj) mĕrəm 'nur, bloß', South (DN) mĕrȧp 'stickige, muffige Luft', North (O) mȧ̆rem 'Leid', (Kaz) mărʌə- 'in Not, Elend geraten, in Verlegenheit, in Angst kommen', (Kaz) mărśəm 'beengende, schwüle Luft', (Ni) mărśəm 'es ist Leid ' < Proto-Khanty *mirəl-; *mirəm (Zhivlov 2006: 115)

Mansi: East (K) mär-, mǟr- 'szorul, reked, elakad, sich verengen, eng werden, stecken, stecken bleiben', (KU) mǟrəmää 'тупой', (Ju) mǟrt-: tump jǟγəttəl mǟrtǟwə 'a sziget folyókkal van összeszorítva; die Insel wird von Flüssen zusammengedrängt', West (P) mǟrəm 'тупой', (LM) mär-, mǟr- 'szorul, reked, elakad; sich verengen, eng werden, stecken, stecken bleiben', jal-mär- 'megszorul; bedrängt werden', North (So) marəm 'тупой', (N) mar- 'szorul, reked, elakad; sich verengen, eng werden, stecken, stecken bleiben', marėm 'szűk, szükség, szorultság, eng, Not, Bedrängnis' < Proto-Mansi *mär-

Commentary

The Ugric etymology is accepted by Abondolo (1996). MSzFE and UEW give alternative reconstructions with *e and *ä, as the Ob-Ugric cognates point rather to *e but it would be difficult to derive Hungarian open *e from this. Because of this, the etymology remains uncertain, even though the semantic connection between Hungarian and Ob-Ugric cognates is quite close.

Conclusion

The etymology remains uncertain because of unclarities with the vocalism.

References

Abondolo 1996: 38: Proto-Ugric

EWUng

MSzFE: 439-440: Proto-Ugric

UEW s.v. merɜ- (märɜ-): Proto-Ugric Uralonet