An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Märchen

by Friedrich Kluge

Märchen, neuter, ‘fairy story, tale,’ diminutive of Märe, feminine, from Middle High German mœre, neuter and feminine, ‘tale, fiction, report, information,’ whence in Middle High German the diminutive mœrelîn, neuter, ‘short story, fairy story.’ Compare Old High German mârî, feminine, mâri, neuter, ‘rumour, information’; an abstract from Old High German mâri (Middle High German mœre), Gothic mêrs, ‘known, famed,’ which is recorded by old historians in many Old Teutonic proper names in the form mêrus, mêris; akin to SIav. mĕrŭ in Vladimĕrŭ, ‘Vladimir, Waldemar,’ Greek -μωρος in εγχεσίμωρος, ‘famed for wielding the spear,’ Old Irish már, mór, ‘great, of repute’; for the comparative of this primitive adjectival stem mê-ro-, see under mehr.