μᾶρον

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Aramaic מַרְוָא / ܡܲܪܘܵܐ (marwā, “Origanum syriacum syn. Origanum maru”), an important ritual herb (☞ explained by Löw), from Middle Persian [script needed] (mlc' /⁠marw⁠/), related to Sanskrit मरुव (maruva, “marjoram”). The ultimate origin is obscure, but from a non-Indo-European substrate language: the Sanskrit probably borrowed the name for this herb via cultural contact with the northwest (perhaps through Persian or Central Asian intermediaries), since sweet marjoram is native to the Mediterranean and West Asia rather than to early Indo-Aryan regions.^[1]

Also found in Arabic مَرْو (marw, “fragrant herbs; pebbles; quartz”), مَرْدَقُوش (mardaqūš, “marjoram”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mâː.ron/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ron/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ron/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ron/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ron/

Noun

μᾶρον • (mâron) n (genitive μᾱ́ρου); second declension

The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:

Inflection

Second declension of τὸ μᾶρον; τοῦ μᾱ́ρου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ μᾶρον tò mâron	τὼ μᾱ́ρω tṑ mā́rō	τᾰ̀ μᾶρᾰ tằ mâră
Genitive	τοῦ μᾱ́ρου toû mā́rou	τοῖν μᾱ́ροιν toîn mā́roin	τῶν μᾱ́ρων tôn mā́rōn
Dative	τῷ μᾱ́ρῳ tōî mā́rōi	τοῖν μᾱ́ροιν toîn mā́roin	τοῖς μᾱ́ροις toîs mā́rois
Accusative	τὸ μᾶρον tò mâron	τὼ μᾱ́ρω tṑ mā́rō	τᾰ̀ μᾶρᾰ tằ mâră
Vocative	μᾶρον mâron	μᾱ́ρω mā́rō	μᾶρᾰ mâră
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Arabic: مَارُون (mārūn)
→ Latin: marum

References

^ Meulenbeld A History of Indian Medical Literature Vol IIB 2000