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  <teiHeader>
    <fileDesc>
      <titleStmt>
        <title type="main">Wurdahuzdą: Proto-Germanic dictionary — *merkuz</title>
        <author>Scott K. Shay</author>
      </titleStmt>
      <publicationStmt>
        <publisher>Wardja Press</publisher>
        <date when="2026-10-01"/>
        <idno type="URL">https://protogermanic.org/pgmc_merkuz</idno>
      </publicationStmt>
      <sourceDesc>
        <p>Single-entry extract from the dictionary. Cross-references to other entries point to their identifiers in the full dictionary.</p>
      </sourceDesc>
    </fileDesc>
  </teiHeader>
  <text>
    <body>
      <list type="cognates">
        <item xml:id="cog_sla-x-proto_merg" xml:lang="sla-x-proto" type="cognate">
          <orth>*mergъ</orth>
          <def>brown</def>
        </item>
        <item xml:id="cog_sla-x-proto_mork" xml:lang="sla-x-proto" type="cognate">
          <orth>*morkъ</orth>
          <def>darkness</def>
        </item>
      </list>
      <div type="dictionary">
        <entry xml:id="pgmc_merkuz" type="adj" corresp="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/merkuz">
          <form type="lemma">
            <orth>merkuz</orth>
            <pron notation="ipa">ˈmer.kuz</pron>
            <form type="runic">
              <orth>ᛗᛖᚱᚲᚢᛉ</orth>
            </form>
          </form>
          <gramGrp>
            <pos>adj</pos>
            <gram type="stem">u-stem</gram>
          </gramGrp>
          <sense n="1">
            <def>dark</def>
          </sense>
          <etym>
            <seg type="p">From earlier *merkwuz, from Proto-Indo-European *(h₂)mer(H)gʷ- (‘dark’), cognate to Proto-Slavic <mentioned xml:lang="sla-x-proto" target="#cog_sla-x-proto_merg"><ref target="#cog_sla-x-proto_merg">*mergъ</ref></mentioned> (‘brown’). Orr summarizes arguments for borrowing from common Slavic into common Germanic. In any case, related to Proto-Slavic <mentioned xml:lang="sla-x-proto" target="#cog_sla-x-proto_mork"><ref target="#cog_sla-x-proto_mork">*morkъ</ref></mentioned> (‘darkness’).</seg>
          </etym>
          <re type="paradigm">
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #nom #masc #strong">
              <orth>merkuz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #nom #fem #strong">
              <orth>mirkwī</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #nom #neut #strong">
              <orth>merkų, -ijatō</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #nom #masc #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijai</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #nom #fem #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijôz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #nom #neut #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijō</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #acc #masc #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijanǭ</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #acc #fem #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijǭ</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #acc #neut #strong">
              <orth>merkų, -ijatō</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #acc #masc #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijanz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #acc #fem #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijōz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #acc #neut #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijō</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #gen #masc #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijas, -īs</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #gen #fem #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaizōz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #gen #neut #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijas, -īs</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #gen #masc #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaizǫ̂</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #gen #fem #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaizǫ̂</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #gen #neut #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaizǫ̂</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #dat #masc #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijammai</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #dat #fem #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaizōi</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #dat #neut #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijammai</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #dat #masc #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaimaz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #dat #fem #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaimaz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #dat #neut #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaimaz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #instr #masc #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijanō</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #instr #fem #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaizō</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #instr #neut #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijanō</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #instr #masc #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaimiz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #instr #fem #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaimiz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #instr #neut #strong">
              <orth>mirkwijaimiz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #nom #masc #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijô</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #nom #fem #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijǭ</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #nom #neut #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijô</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #nom #masc #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijaniz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #nom #fem #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōniz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #nom #neut #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōnō</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #acc #masc #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijanų</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #acc #fem #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōnų</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #acc #neut #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijô</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #acc #masc #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijanunz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #acc #fem #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōnunz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #acc #neut #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōnō</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #gen #masc #weak">
              <orth>mirkwīniz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #gen #fem #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōniz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #gen #neut #weak">
              <orth>mirkwīniz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #gen #masc #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijanǫ̂</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #gen #fem #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōnǫ̂</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #gen #neut #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijanǫ̂</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #dat #masc #weak">
              <orth>mirkwīni</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #dat #fem #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōni</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #dat #neut #weak">
              <orth>mirkwīni</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #dat #masc #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijammaz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #dat #fem #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōmaz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #dat #neut #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijammaz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #instr #masc #weak">
              <orth>mirkwīnē</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #instr #fem #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōnē</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#sg #instr #neut #weak">
              <orth>mirkwīnē</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #instr #masc #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijammiz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #instr #fem #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijōmiz</orth>
            </form>
            <form type="inflected" ana="#pl #instr #neut #weak">
              <orth>mirkwijammiz</orth>
            </form>
          </re>
          <re type="descendants">
            <list>
              <item>
                <form type="descendant">
                  <lang>Proto-West Germanic</lang>
                  <orth>*mirkwī</orth>
                  <form type="descendant">
                    <lang>Old Saxon</lang>
                    <orth>mirki</orth>
                  </form>
                </form>
              </item>
              <item>
                <form type="descendant">
                  <lang>Proto-West Germanic</lang>
                  <orth>*mirkwī</orth>
                  <form type="descendant">
                    <lang>Old English</lang>
                    <orth>mirce, mierce</orth>
                    <form type="descendant">
                      <lang>Middle English</lang>
                      <orth>mirke, merke</orth>
                      <form type="descendant">
                        <lang>English</lang>
                        <orth>mirk, murk</orth>
                      </form>
                      <form type="descendant">
                        <lang>Scots</lang>
                        <orth>mirk, merk, mark</orth>
                      </form>
                    </form>
                  </form>
                </form>
              </item>
              <item>
                <form type="descendant">
                  <lang>Old Norse</lang>
                  <orth>myrkr</orth>
                  <form type="descendant">
                    <lang>Danish</lang>
                    <orth>mørk</orth>
                  </form>
                  <form type="descendant">
                    <lang>Faroese</lang>
                    <orth>myrkur</orth>
                  </form>
                  <form type="descendant">
                    <lang>Icelandic</lang>
                    <orth>myrkur</orth>
                  </form>
                  <form type="descendant">
                    <lang>Norwegian Bokmål</lang>
                    <orth>mørk</orth>
                  </form>
                  <form type="descendant">
                    <lang>Norwegian Nynorsk</lang>
                    <orth>myrk, mørk</orth>
                  </form>
                  <form type="descendant">
                    <lang>Swedish</lang>
                    <orth>mörk</orth>
                  </form>
                </form>
              </item>
              <item>
                <form type="descendant">
                  <lang>Proto-Finnic</lang>
                  <orth>*mürkkü</orth>
                </form>
              </item>
            </list>
          </re>
        </entry>
      </div>
    </body>
  </text>
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