An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/mürbe

by Friedrich Kluge

mürbe, adj., ‘tender,’ from MidHG. mürwe, mür, OHG. muruwi, murwi, adj., ‘tender, mellow’; also, with the same sense, OHG. marawi, maro, MidHG. mar (inflect. marwer), AS. mearu. The root mar appears further in Gr. μαραίνω, ‘to cause to wither,’ Sans. mlâ, ‘to fade’; also in OIr. meirb, ‘soft.’