An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Mord

by Friedrich Kluge

Mord, m., ‘murder,’ from MidHG. mort (-des), m. and n., OHG. mord, n.; comp. OSax. morth, Du. moord, AS. and OIc. morð, ‘murder,’ with the common meaning ‘intentional, secret death-blow.’ Goth. *maurþ, n., is wanting; it is based on pre-Teut. mṛto-m, n., and orig. meant ‘death’ simply, as the root mor, ‘to die,’ widely diffused through all the Aryan languages, indicates. Comp. the Sans. root mṛ, ‘to die,’ mṛtá-m, n., ‘death,’ amṛta-m, ‘immortality,’ mṛtas, ‘dead,’ márta-s, ‘mortal,’ amṛta-s, ‘immortal,’ mṛtyús, ‘death’; Lat. mori, ‘to die,’ mortuus, ‘dead,’ mors (Sans. mṛti-s), ‘death’; OSlov. mrĕti, ‘to die,’ morŭ-sŭ-mrŭtĭ, ‘death,’ mrŭtvŭ (Lat. mortuus), ‘dead’; Lith. mìrti, ‘to die,’ mirtìs, ‘death,’ In Gr. as well as in OTeut. the strong root mṛ is wanting, but its derivatives βροτός, ‘mortal’ (for *μρο-τό-ς), ἀμβροτός, ‘immortal,’ have been preserved; OIr. marb, ‘dead.’ In Teut. the root has assumed the sense of ‘intentional, secret killing,’ the older meaning ‘to die, death,’ supplanted by sterben and Tod, having become obsolete; MidHG. mort, ‘dead,’ was borrowed from Fr. mort. Comp. further Goth. maúrþr, n. (in Sans. *mṛtra-m), AS. morþor, n., equiv. to E. murder; also OHG. murdiren, Goth. maurþrjan, ‘to murder’; hence Fr. meurtre, MidLat. mordrum, ‘murderous deed.’