shemër

Albanian

Etymology

Orel suggests a morphological transformation of Vulgar Latin *sub-marīta or *sub-marītica, a derivative of Latin marīta (“married woman”).[1] Çabej deems it an early borrowing from Proto-Slavic *sębrъ. A later borrowing sem(b)ër/sëmbër from the same source is attested across dialects. A derivative shmrijak (“farming partner”) is attested in Northern subdialects. Compare Serbo-Croatian sebar, Belarusian сябар (sjabar, “friend”).[2]

According to an alternative suggestion, possibly from Proto-Albanian *ùśko-ma-r (“wife”), from earlier *ùkso (“to marry”), from Proto-Indo-European *wVkV-so, compare Latin uxor (“wife”) and Sanskrit वच (vaca).(Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ʃɛˈməɾ/

Noun

shemër f (plural shemra, definite shemra, definite plural shemrat)

  1. second wife (in a polygamous marriage)
  2. enemy, opponent, nemesis

References
  1. Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “shemër”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 411
  2. Topalli, K. (2017) “shemër”, in Fjalor Etimologjik i Gjuhës Shqipe, Durrës, Albania: Jozef, page 1377
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