Etymology 1
From Middle English merren, from Old English mierran (“to mar, disturb, confuse; scatter, squander, waste; upset, hinder, obstruct; err”), from Proto-Germanic *marzijaną (“to disturb, hinder”), from Proto-Indo-European *mers- (“to annoy, disturb, neglect, forget, ignore”). Cognate with Scots mer, mar (“to obstruct, impede, spoil, ruin”), Dutch marren (“to push along, delay, hinder”), dialectal German merren (“to entangle”), Icelandic merja (“to bruise, crush”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽 (marzjan, “to annoy, bother, disturb, offend”), Lithuanian miršti (“to forget, lose, become oblivious, die”), Armenian մոռանալ (moṙanal, “to forget, fail”), Sanskrit mṛṣ (“forget, neglect”).
Verb
mar (third-person singular simple present mars, present participle marring, simple past and past participle marred)
- (transitive) To spoil; to ruin; to scathe; to damage.
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:Prospero: […] huſh, and be mute / Or elſe our ſpell is mar'd.
1700, [John] Dryden, “Homer’s Ilias”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, book I, page 218:Mother, tho' wiſe your ſelf, my Counſel weigh; / 'Tis much unſafe my Sire to disobey; / Not only you provoke him to your Coſt, / But Mirth is marr'd, and the good Chear is loſt.
1826, Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments: The Text Printed from the Most Correct Copies of the Present Authorized Translation, including the Marginal Readings and Parallel Texts. With a Commentary and Critical Notes. Designed as a Help to a Better Understanding of the Sacred Writings, Royal Octavo Stereotype edition, volume IV, New York, N.Y.: Published by N. Bangs and J. Emory, for the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the Conference Office, 13, Crosby-Street, Jeremiah 18:3–4, page 53:[…] I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
1856, Jabez Burns, “The Heralds of Mercy”, in Cyclopedia of Sermons: Containing Sketches of Sermons on the Parables and Miracles of Christ, on Christian Missions, on Scripture Characters and Incidents; on Subjects Appropriate for the Sick Room, Family Reading and Village Worship and some Special Occasions, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, 346 & 348 Broadway, →OCLC, page 253:Sin defiles the soul; it mars its beauty, impairs its health and vigor. It perverts its powers, and deranges all its dignified energies and attributes.
2000, Vanessa Gunther, “The Indian Giver”, in Gordon Morris Bakken, editor, Law in the Western United States (Legal History of North America; 6), Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, →ISBN, page 271:The Court's ability to reinterpret the words in the treaty that do not appeal to it mars its logic, and demeans other words there, most significantly the solemnity of the United States oath.
2007, Zeno W. Wicks, Jr., Frank N. Jones, S. Peter Pappas, Douglas A. Wicks, Organic Coatings: Science and Technology, 3rd edition, Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley-Interscience, →ISBN, pages 85 and 210:[page 85] Mar resistance is related to abrasion resistance, but there is an important difference. Abrasion may go deeply into the coating, whereas marring is usually a near-surface phenomenon; mars less than 0.5 μm deep can degrade appearance. […] [page 210] Eventually, sufficient resin can accumulate to drip down on products going through the ovens, marring their finish.
2018 July 10, “Cave rescue: Final push under way in Thailand”, in bbc.com, BBC, retrieved 2018-07-10:They extracted a ninth boy on Tuesday, the Thai Navy said, with reports suggesting two more. If confirmed, one child and an adult remain to be rescued, bringing to a close an epic operation marred by one diver's death.
Translations
to spoil, to damage
- Bulgarian: развалям (bg) (razvaljam), повреждам (bg) (povreždam)
- Catalan: anar-se'n en orris (ca), espatllar (ca), perdre (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 損壞/损坏 (zh) (sǔnhuài), 損傷/损伤 (zh) (sǔnshāng), 變壞/变坏 (zh) (biànhuài), 破壞/破坏 (zh) (pòhuài), 糟蹋 (zh) (zāota)
- Czech: kazit (cs) impf, pokazit pf, zkazit pf, ničit (cs) impf, zničit (cs) pf
- Dutch: verpesten (nl), verknoeien (nl), beschadigen (nl)
- Finnish: pilata (fi), tärvellä (fi), turmella (fi), leimata (fi) (figuratively)
- French: entacher (fr) (figuratively)
- German: verderben (de), stören (de), verunstalten (de), beeinträchtigen (de), versauen (de)
- Irish: loit
- Japanese: 台無しにする (ja) (だいなしにする, dainashi ni suru), 傷める (ja) (いためる, itameru)
- Latin: turpō (la)
- Ottoman Turkish: بوزمق (bozmak)
- Romanian: strica (ro)
- Russian: по́ртить (ru) impf (pórtitʹ), испо́ртить (ru) pf (ispórtitʹ), поврежда́ть (ru) impf (povreždátʹ), повреди́ть (ru) pf (povredítʹ)
- Slovene: kazíti
- Spanish: arruinar (es), dañar (es), perjudicar (es)
- Swedish: fördärva (sv), svärta ner
- Ukrainian: псува́ти (uk) (psuváty), шко́дити (škódyty), руйнува́ти (rujnuváty)
|
Noun
mar (plural mars)
- A blemish.
1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, →ISBN, page 68:For concealing deep mars, some manufacturers offer putty sticks in colors that match their panels.
Etymology 2
See mere. Doublet of mare and mere.
This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.
References
- D. Takaria, C. Pieter (1998) Kamus Bahasa Melayu Ambon-Indonesia, Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa
Noun
mar m or f (plural mares)
- sea (body of water)
References
- Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “mar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “mar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “mar”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
- Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “mar”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN