𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌿𐍃

From Ancient Greek μαργαρίτης (margarítēs), possibly via Latin. Apparently modified by folk-etymological association with 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹 (marei, “sea”); although the second element -kreitus is less readily explained, its devoicing may result from the same process that yielded 𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌺𐍃 (krēks, “Greek”) (from Latin graecus) with its devoiced initial consonant.

The sole attested form, marikreitum, has been surmised to be a misspelling of *marikreitōm, dative plural to a feminine noun *marikreita, which would support a borrowing from Latin margarīta instead a direct derivation from the Greek form. This, however, remains uncertain.

Compare Old High German merigrioz, Old Saxon merigriota, merigrīta, Old English meregrot, meregrēot, all meaning "pearl" and folk-etymologically adapted to their languages' respective reflexes of Proto-Germanic *mari (“sea”).

𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌿𐍃 • (marikreitus) m

1. (hapax legomenon) pearl

• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) “M30. *marikreitus”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 245