Mär

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mar", maer, and mær

German

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle High German mære, from Old High German mārī, ultimately from the adjective māri (“well known, famous”), from Proto-West Germanic *mārī, from Proto-Germanic *mērijaz.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /mɛːʁ/, [mɛ(ː)ɐ̯], [meːɐ̯]
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: Mär
  • Homophones: Meer, mehr (many speakers)

Noun

Mär f (genitive Mär, plural (now rare) Mären, diminutive Märchen n or Märlein n)

  1. (higher register) an often repeated untruth, a fable, a false narrative
    die Mär von Massenvernichtungswaffen im Irak
    the fable of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq
  2. (archaic) tale, fairytale, fable
  3. (archaic) tidings, news
    Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her, ich bring euch gute neue Mär.
    From heaven above I come to bring you good new tidings.

Usage notes
  • The sense “tidings” remains current only in the above-given line from a popular Christmas carol. The sense “fairytale” is continued by the diminutive Märchen, which see.

Declension
Declension of Mär [feminine]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative eine die Mär die Mären
genitive einer der Mär der Mären
dative einer der Mär den Mären
accusative eine die Mär die Mären

References
  • “Mär” in Duden online
  • “Mär” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
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