mara

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mara"

Languages (48)

English

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Page categories

English

WOTD – 4 November 2013

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːɹə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːɹə

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old Norse mara, from Proto-Germanic *marǭ, cognate with Old English mare or mære. Doublet of mare. See nightmare.

Noun

mara (plural maras)

1. (European folklore) A nightmare; a spectre or wraith-like creature in Germanic and particularly Scandinavian folklore; a female demon who torments people in sleep by crouching on their chests or stomachs, or by causing terrifying visions.
   • 1996, Catharina Raudvere, “Now you see her, now you don't: some notes on the conception of female shape-shifters in Scandinavian traditions”, in Sandra Billington, Miranda Green, editors, The Concept of the Goddess, pages 41–55:

     The corpus of related texts tells us that within rural society it was not improbable for your neighbour's envy of your fine cattle to take the form of a mara.

Translations

(folklore) a nightmare; spectre or wraith-like creature

• Armenian: խիպիլիկ (hy) (xipilik), ալք (hy) (alkʻ)
• Danish: mare (da) c (creature), mareridt (da) n (nightmare)
• German: Mahr (de) m, Nachtmahr (de) m, Alb (de) m
• Swedish: mara (sv) c
• Vilamovian: ołp m

Further reading

• Mare (folklore) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Sanskrit मार (māra).

Noun

mara (plural maras)

1. (Buddhism) A type of god that prevents accomplishment or success.
   • 2011, Graham Woodhouse, Lobsang Gyatso, Tsongkhapa's Praise for Dependent Relativity‎^[1], Wisdom Publications, page 20:

     Mara means demon, or demonic influence, that hinders the practice of virtue. It may be an external spirit or an aspect of our own imperfect condition. All hindrances on the path to liberation are subsumed under the four maras. The first mara is the mara of the aggregates. […] The second of the maras is the mara of the afflictions, which are the same as the afflictive obstructions. They are identified as a mara because they precipitate all harmful actions, from malicious gossip to murder. […] The third mara is Devaputra, literally "son of a god," an external troublemaker who specializes in interfering with beings who are endeavoring to achieve something positive. […] The last mara is the mara of death.

2. (Buddhism) Any malicious or evil spirit.
   • 2002, Sarvananda Bluestone, The World Dream Book, page 73:

     The mara is the spirit that causes illness, accidents, and mishaps. The only protection against it is another mara who befriends a person or a group. A mara who becomes friendly is called a gunik. This transformation occurs when a mara comes to a person in a dream and states a desire to be friendly. But there are deceitful maras who pretend to be friendly, yet will betray the person who trusts them.

Related terms

• Mara

Translations

Buddhism: god preventing accomplishment or success

• Japanese: 魔羅 (ja) (mara)

Buddhism: a malicious or evil spirit

• Burmese: မာရ်နတ် (my) (marnat), မာရ် (my) (mar)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 天魔 (zh) (tiānmó), 魔羅 / 魔罗 (zh) (móluó)

• Japanese: 魔羅 (ja) (mara)
• Khmer: មារ (km) (miə)
• Sinhalese: මාරයා (mārayā)
• Thai: มาร (th) (maan)

Further reading

• Mara (demon) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 3

From New World Spanish mará.

Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum)

Noun

mara (plural maras)

1. Any caviid rodent of the genus Dolichotis, common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina.
   • 1999, Michael A. Mares, editor, Encyclopedia of Deserts‎^[2], Mara, page 349:

     Maras have a white patch of fur on the rump that they flash when running, an adaptation they share with several species of deer and antelopes.

   • 2011, Terry A. Vaughan, James M. Ryan, Nicholas J. Czaplewski, Mammalogy, 5th edition, page 228:

     Although only Dolichotis, the Patagonian mara, is strongly cursorial, all caviids have certain features typical of cursorial mammals […] .

   • 2013, R. L. Honeycutt, “Chapter 3: Phylogenetics of Caviomorph Rodents and Genetic Perspectives on the Evolution of Sociality and Mating Systems in the Caviidae”, in José Roberto Moreira, Katia Maria P.M.B. Ferraz, Emilio A. Herrera, David W. Macdonald, editors, Capybara: Biology, Use and Conservation of an Exceptional Neotropical Species‎^[3], page 70:

     Maras (Dolichotis patagonum) are cursorial and prefer open areas with low vegetation for breeding and more barren sites for construction of communal dens (Taber and Macdonald 1992; Baldi 2007).

Derived terms

• Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum)
• Chacoan mara (Dolichotis salinicola)

Translations

caviid rodent

• Catalan: mara (ca) f
• Finnish: mara (fi)
• Portuguese: mará m
• Swedish: mara (sv) c

References

• mara (mammal) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Dolichotis on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Dolichotis on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

See also

• mara d'atra
• terra-mara

Anagrams

• Rāma, Rama, ARMA, -rama, maar, amra, Aram, Amar

Afar

Etymology 1

Possibly related to Arabic مَرْء (marʔ, “man”) and Akkadian 𒌉 (mārum, “son”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmara/ [ˈmʌɾʌ]
• Hyphenation: ma‧ra

Noun

mára m 

1. (in compounds) people
   • Saytun Qhuraan kee kay maqnah tarjamaty Qafar afal tani [The clear Qur'an and its explanation translated into the Afar language]‎^[4], Suurat Al-Faatica, verse 3:

     Ummaan ginoh Fulte Racmatta leeh, yeemene marah Gunê Racmatta-le Rabbi kinni.

     He [who] surpasses the mercy of every creation, he is the God who gives mercy to the believing people.

2. (Northern dialects, in compounds) living

Declension

Declension of mára

absolutive mára predicative mára subjective marí genitive marín Postpositioned forms l-case máral k-case márak t-case márat h-case márah

Derived terms

• baddi mára

Related terms

• maré (“to live; family”)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈra/ [mʌˈɾʌ]
• Hyphenation: ma‧ra

Verb

mara

1. first/third-person masculine singular affirmative imperfective of maré

References

• E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “màra”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
• Marie-Claude Simeone-Senelle, Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2013 August) “Gender, Number and Agreement in Afar (Cushitic language)”, in 43th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics‎^[5], Leiden: Leiden University

'Are'are

Verb

mara

1. be ashamed

References

• Kateřina Naitoro, A Sketch Grammar of 'Are'are: The Sound System and Morpho-Syntax (2013)

Baagandji

Etymology

From Proto-Pama-Nyungan *mara.

Noun

mara

1. hand

Balinese

Romanization

mara

1. Romanization of ᬫᬭ
2. Romanization of ᬫᬵᬭ

Bambara

Noun

mara (tone màra)

1. guard
2. region, province
3. (administrative division) circle
4. savings, reserves
5. kingdom

Derived terms

• marabaa
• marabolo
• maraden
• marali
• maramɔgɔ
• maraseginso
• marayɔrɔ

Verb

mara

1. (transitive) to guard, keep, take care of
2. to manage, govern
3. to keep, raise (poultry)

Bikol Central

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maja. Compare Maranao mara, Yogad maga, Cebuano maa and Tetum maran.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈɾa/ [maˈɾa]
• Hyphenation: ma‧ra

Adjective

mará (plural marara, Basahan spelling ᜋᜍ)

1. (Partido, Tabaco–Legazpi–Sorsogon) dry; arid

   Synonym: alang

   Antonyms: basa, dumog

Derived terms

• magmara
• makamara
• mamara
• pagkamara
• pagmara
• pamara
• tagmara

Cypriot Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic اِمْرَأَة (imraʔa).

Noun

mara f (construct state mprat, plural nisfán)

1. woman
2. wife

Derived terms

• matxál
• payyómara

References

• Borg, Alexander (2004) A Comparative Glossary of Cypriot Maronite Arabic (Arabic–English) (Handbook of Oriental Studies; I.70), Leiden and Boston: Brill, page 426

Dieri

Etymology

From Proto-Pama-Nyungan *mara.

Noun

mara

1. hand

Esperanto

Etymology

From maro +‎ -a.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈmara/
• Rhymes: -ara
• Hyphenation: mar‧a

Adjective

mara (accusative singular maran, plural maraj, accusative plural marajn)

1. sea, of or relating to the sea

Fijian

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *mara (“to spoil, to go foul (of food)”).

Noun

mara

1. stench of a corpse
2. resting place of a deceased chief

Related terms

• madra

References

• Gatty, Ronald (2009) “mara”, in Fijian-English Dictionary, Suva, Fiji: Ronald Gatty, →ISBN, page 157
• Ross, Malcolm D., Pawley, Andrew, Osmond, Meredith (1998) The lexicon of Proto-Oceanic, volume 1: Material Culture, Canberra: Australian National University, →ISBN, pages 158-9

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑrɑ/, [ˈmɑ̝rɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑrɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ma‧ra
• Hyphenation^(key): ma‧ra

Etymology 1

Painajainen ("Nightmare"; "Nachtmahr" in German), a painting of a mara, by Johann Heinrich Füssli, 1781

Borrowed into Western Finnish dialects from Swedish mara, which is a demon that sits on the chest of a sleeping person and causes bad dreams. This demon is known by similar names among Germanic peoples and lives in English nightmare, in Swedish mardröm (“nightmare”) and in German Nachtmahr (“nightmare”), among others.

Noun

mara

1. (folklore) nightmare, mara (demon that causes bad dreams)

   Synonym: painajainen

Declension

Inflection of mara (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		mara	marat
genitive		maran	marojen
partitive		maraa	maroja
illative		maraan	maroihin
		singular	plural
nominative		mara	marat
accusative	nom.	mara	marat
	gen.	maran
genitive		maran	marojen marain rare
partitive		maraa	maroja
inessive		marassa	maroissa
elative		marasta	maroista
illative		maraan	maroihin
adessive		maralla	maroilla
ablative		maralta	maroilta
allative		maralle	maroille
essive		marana	maroina
translative		maraksi	maroiksi
abessive		maratta	maroitta
instructive		—	maroin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of mara (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative marani marani accusative nom. marani marani gen. marani genitive marani marojeni maraini rare partitive maraani marojani inessive marassani maroissani elative marastani maroistani illative maraani maroihini adessive marallani maroillani ablative maraltani maroiltani allative maralleni maroilleni essive maranani maroinani translative marakseni maroikseni abessive marattani maroittani instructive — — comitative — maroineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative marasi marasi accusative nom. marasi marasi gen. marasi genitive marasi marojesi maraisi rare partitive maraasi marojasi inessive marassasi maroissasi elative marastasi maroistasi illative maraasi maroihisi adessive marallasi maroillasi ablative maraltasi maroiltasi allative marallesi maroillesi essive maranasi maroinasi translative maraksesi maroiksesi abessive marattasi maroittasi instructive — — comitative — maroinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative maramme maramme accusative nom. maramme maramme gen. maramme genitive maramme marojemme maraimme rare partitive maraamme marojamme inessive marassamme maroissamme elative marastamme maroistamme illative maraamme maroihimme adessive marallamme maroillamme ablative maraltamme maroiltamme allative marallemme maroillemme essive maranamme maroinamme translative maraksemme maroiksemme abessive marattamme maroittamme instructive — — comitative — maroinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative maranne maranne accusative nom. maranne maranne gen. maranne genitive maranne marojenne marainne rare partitive maraanne marojanne inessive marassanne maroissanne elative marastanne maroistanne illative maraanne maroihinne adessive marallanne maroillanne ablative maraltanne maroiltanne allative marallenne maroillenne essive marananne maroinanne translative maraksenne maroiksenne abessive marattanne maroittanne instructive — — comitative — maroinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative maransa maransa accusative nom. maransa maransa gen. maransa genitive maransa marojensa marainsa rare partitive maraansa marojaan marojansa inessive marassaan marassansa maroissaan maroissansa elative marastaan marastansa maroistaan maroistansa illative maraansa maroihinsa adessive marallaan marallansa maroillaan maroillansa ablative maraltaan maraltansa maroiltaan maroiltansa allative maralleen marallensa maroilleen maroillensa essive maranaan maranansa maroinaan maroinansa translative marakseen maraksensa maroikseen maroiksensa abessive marattaan marattansa maroittaan maroittansa instructive — — comitative — maroineen maroinensa

Etymology 2

From Spanish mará.

Noun

mara

1. mara (hare-like South American rodent of the genus Dolichotis)

Declension

Inflection of mara (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		mara	marat
genitive		maran	marojen
partitive		maraa	maroja
illative		maraan	maroihin
		singular	plural
nominative		mara	marat
accusative	nom.	mara	marat
	gen.	maran
genitive		maran	marojen marain rare
partitive		maraa	maroja
inessive		marassa	maroissa
elative		marasta	maroista
illative		maraan	maroihin
adessive		maralla	maroilla
ablative		maralta	maroilta
allative		maralle	maroille
essive		marana	maroina
translative		maraksi	maroiksi
abessive		maratta	maroitta
instructive		—	maroin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of mara (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative marani marani accusative nom. marani marani gen. marani genitive marani marojeni maraini rare partitive maraani marojani inessive marassani maroissani elative marastani maroistani illative maraani maroihini adessive marallani maroillani ablative maraltani maroiltani allative maralleni maroilleni essive maranani maroinani translative marakseni maroikseni abessive marattani maroittani instructive — — comitative — maroineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative marasi marasi accusative nom. marasi marasi gen. marasi genitive marasi marojesi maraisi rare partitive maraasi marojasi inessive marassasi maroissasi elative marastasi maroistasi illative maraasi maroihisi adessive marallasi maroillasi ablative maraltasi maroiltasi allative marallesi maroillesi essive maranasi maroinasi translative maraksesi maroiksesi abessive marattasi maroittasi instructive — — comitative — maroinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative maramme maramme accusative nom. maramme maramme gen. maramme genitive maramme marojemme maraimme rare partitive maraamme marojamme inessive marassamme maroissamme elative marastamme maroistamme illative maraamme maroihimme adessive marallamme maroillamme ablative maraltamme maroiltamme allative marallemme maroillemme essive maranamme maroinamme translative maraksemme maroiksemme abessive marattamme maroittamme instructive — — comitative — maroinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative maranne maranne accusative nom. maranne maranne gen. maranne genitive maranne marojenne marainne rare partitive maraanne marojanne inessive marassanne maroissanne elative marastanne maroistanne illative maraanne maroihinne adessive marallanne maroillanne ablative maraltanne maroiltanne allative marallenne maroillenne essive marananne maroinanne translative maraksenne maroiksenne abessive marattanne maroittanne instructive — — comitative — maroinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative maransa maransa accusative nom. maransa maransa gen. maransa genitive maransa marojensa marainsa rare partitive maraansa marojaan marojansa inessive marassaan marassansa maroissaan maroissansa elative marastaan marastansa maroistaan maroistansa illative maraansa maroihinsa adessive marallaan marallansa maroillaan maroillansa ablative maraltaan maraltansa maroiltaan maroiltansa allative maralleen marallensa maroilleen maroillensa essive maranaan maranansa maroinaan maroinansa translative marakseen maraksensa maroikseen maroiksensa abessive marattaan marattansa maroittaan maroittansa instructive — — comitative — maroineen maroinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• aavikkomara
• etelänmara

Anagrams

• maar

Gamilaraay

Alternative forms

• mārā, márá, murra, mŭrră

Etymology

From Proto-Central New South Wales *mara, from Proto-Pama-Nyungan *mara.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maɻa/

Noun

mara

1. hand
2. finger

Quotations

• 1856, William Ridley, “On the Kamilaroi Tribe of Australians and Their Dialect”, in Journal of the Ethnological Society of London, volume 4:

  Hand . . . mārā
  Fingers . . mŭrră.

  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• 1856, William Ridley, gurre kamilaroi, or Kamilaroi Sayings:

  immanuel murra kawāni miedul, goe, “miēdūl waria.”
  Immanuel by hand took the girl, said “damsel arise”.

  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• 1873, William Ridley, Australian Languages and Traditions, in The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, volume 2:

  Hand|murra

• 1903, R. H. Mathews, Languages of the Kamilaroi and Other Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales, in The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, volume 33:

  Hand .... ....|murra

References

• Barry Alpher Proto-Pama-Nyungan etyma, in Australian Languages: Classification and the Comparative Method, edited by Claire Bowern and Harold Koch (Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2004)
• Peter Austin, A Reference Dictionary of Gamilaraay, northern New South Wales (1993)

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology

From Portuguese amarrar. Cognate with Kabuverdianu mára.

Verb

mara

1. to tie

Icelandic

Etymology 1

Verb

mara (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative maraði, supine marað)

1. to float under the surface

Conjugation

mara – active voice (germynd)

infinitive nafnháttur		að mara
supine sagnbót		marað
present participle lýsingarháttur nútíðar		marandi
		indicative framsöguháttur			subjunctive viðtengingarháttur
		present nútíð	past þátíð		present nútíð	past þátíð
singular	ég	mara	maraði		mari	maraði
	þú	marar	maraðir		marir	maraðir
	hann, hún, það	marar	maraði		mari	maraði
plural	við	mörum	möruðum		mörum	möruðum
	þið	marið	möruðuð		marið	möruðuð
	þeir, þær, þau	mara	möruðu		mari	möruðu
		imperative boðháttur
singular	þú	mara (þú), maraðu
plural	þið	marið (þið), mariði1

¹ Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

marast – mediopassive voice (miðmynd)

infinitive nafnháttur		að marast
supine sagnbót		marast
present participle lýsingarháttur nútíðar		marandist (rare; see appendix)
		indicative framsöguháttur			subjunctive viðtengingarháttur
		present nútíð	past þátíð		present nútíð	past þátíð
singular	ég	marast	maraðist		marist	maraðist
	þú	marast	maraðist		marist	maraðist
	hann, hún, það	marast	maraðist		marist	maraðist
plural	við	mörumst	möruðumst		mörumst	möruðumst
	þið	marist	möruðust		marist	möruðust
	þeir, þær, þau	marast	möruðust		marist	möruðust
		imperative boðháttur
singular	þú	marast (þú), marastu
plural	þið	marist (þið), maristi1

¹ Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

maraður — past participle (lýsingarháttur þátíðar)

strong declension (sterk beyging)	singular (eintala)			plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	maraður	möruð	marað	maraðir	maraðar	möruð
accusative (þolfall)	maraðan	maraða	marað	maraða	maraðar	möruð
dative (þágufall)	möruðum	maraðri	möruðu	möruðum	möruðum	möruðum
genitive (eignarfall)	maraðs	maraðrar	maraðs	maraðra	maraðra	maraðra
weak declension (veik beyging)	singular (eintala)			plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	maraði	maraða	maraða	möruðu	möruðu	möruðu
accusative (þolfall)	maraða	möruðu	maraða	möruðu	möruðu	möruðu
dative (þágufall)	maraða	möruðu	maraða	möruðu	möruðu	möruðu
genitive (eignarfall)	maraða	möruðu	maraða	möruðu	möruðu	möruðu

Etymology 2

Noun

mara f (genitive singular möru, nominative plural mörur)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Declension

Declension of mara (feminine)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mara	maran	mörur	mörurnar
accusative	möru	möruna	mörur	mörurnar
dative	möru	mörunni	mörum	mörunum
genitive	möru	mörunnar	mara	maranna

Further reading

• “mara” in the Dictionary of Modern Icelandic (in Icelandic) and ISLEX (in the Nordic languages)

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈma.ra]
• Hyphenation: ma‧ra

Etymology 1

Inherited from Malay مارا (mara), from Sanskrit मार (māra, “slaughter, destruction”).

Noun

mara (plural mara-mara)

1. calamity, danger

   Synonyms: bahala, bahaya, bala, bencana, cobaan, dakiat, keapesan, kecelakaan, kegagalan, kemaharan, kemalangan, kemudaratan, kerugian, kesialan, malapetaka, mara

Synonyms

• bahaya
• bencana
• malapetaka

Derived terms

• bermara

• mara bahaya

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Javanese ꦩꦫ (mara, “to come, to approach”).

Verb

mara

1. to go
2. to advance, to move forward.
3. to approach.

Derived terms

• kemaraan
• memarakan

Etymology 3

From Sanskrit कोट (koṭa, “fort, shed, hut”) +‎ मार (māra, “killing, destroying”).

Noun

mara (plural mara-mara)

1. Synonym of kotamara (“a kind of naval defensive structure”)
2. Synonym of sangga mara

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Coastal Konjo [Term?] or Highland Konjo [Term?].

Noun

mara (plural mara-mara)

1. (zoology) Limacodidae

Etymology 5

Unknown

Noun

mara (plural mara-mara)

1. (botany) parasol leaf tree, blush macaranga, nasturtium tree, David's heart, heart leaf (Macaranga tanarius)

Further reading

• “mara” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmˠaɾˠə]

Noun

mara f

1. inflection of muir (“sea”):
   1. genitive singular
   2. plural

Conjunction

mara

1. Cois Fharraige form of mura (“if... not, unless”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of mara

radical	lenition	eclipsis
mara	mhara	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “mara”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “mara”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “mara”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025

Japanese

Romanization

mara

1. Rōmaji transcription of まら

Javanese

Romanization

mara

1. Romanization of ꦩꦫ

Juba Arabic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaɾa/, [ˈma.ɾa]

Etymology 1

From Sudanese Arabic مرة (mara), from Arabic مَرْأَة (marʔa).

Noun

mara (plural niswaan)

1. woman
2. wife

Etymology 2

From Arabic مَرَّة (marra).

Noun

mara (plural maraat)

1. time (instance or occurrence)

   Mara wahid ― Once (literally, “One time”)

References

• Ian Smith, Morris Timothy Ama (1985) A Dictionary of Juba Arabic & English‎^[6], 1st edition, Juba: The Committee of The Juba Cheshire Home and Centre for Handicapped Children, page 156

Kaurna

Etymology

From Proto-Pama-Nyungan *mara.

Noun

mara

1. hand

Derived terms

• marawardli (“palm”)
• marawaka (“cupped hands”)

Laz

Conjunction

mara

1. Latin spelling of მარა (mara)

Makasar

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-South Sulawesi *ma(zr)a, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *maja (“dry up, evaporate”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmara/, [ˈma.ra]
• Hyphenation: ma‧ra

Root

mara (Lontara spelling ᨆᨑ)

1. precategorial root expressing dry or lacking moisture

Affixations

• aʼmara
• pimarài

Further reading

• A. A. Cense (2024) Makassaars-Nederlands woordenboek‎^[7], Brill, →DOI

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic اِمْرَأة (imraʔa, “woman; wife”). Formally, a backformation from the latter’s definite form اَلْمَرْأة (al-marʔa) as in most modern Arabic dialects.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.ra/

Noun

mara f (construct state mart or (archaic) mrat, plural nisa, masculine raġel or żewġ)

1. woman
   • 2023, Keith Borg, magħġuna fit-tbenġil, Ede Books, →ISBN:

     kull skuża
     f’soċjetà kkankrata
     li ma tridx taf b’mara
     sakemm m’hemmx kwota
     li ma tridx taf b’mara
     sakemm ma tridx tivvota

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. wife
   • 1966, Anton Buttigieg, “Agnes”, in Ejjew Nidħku Ftit Ieħor:

     Miexja fil-funeral ta’ kuġintha
     mart it-tabib, li mietet fl-aħjar tagħha;
     u f’moħħha ħsieb għaddej li t-tabib jista’
     kif jgħaddi ftit taż-żmien, jitgħarras magħha.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. female (of an animal)

Inflection

Inflection of mara

		singular		plural
		m	f
singular	1st person	marti		martna
	2nd person	martek		martkom
	3rd person	martu	martha	marthom

Inflection of mara

		singular		plural
		m	f
singular	1st person	mrati		mratna
	2nd person	mratek		mratkom
	3rd person	mratu	mratha	mrathom

Derived terms

• mara tad-dar
• mara tad-dnub

Mangarevan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mala, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *malaŋ.

Verb

mara

1. (stative) be unhappy, dispirited

Further reading

• A Dictionary of Mangareva

Maori

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *mara (“to spoil, to go foul [of food]” – compare with Tongan mā “breadfruit preserve, Western bread”, Samoan mala “soft [of food]”, Fijian mara “stench of a corpse”, Satawalese mar “breadfruit preserve”).

Adjective

mara

1. (of food) preserved esp. by prolonged steeping under running water until softened

Derived terms

• whakamara

Related terms

• māhī
• māī
• moī
• pirau

Further reading

• Williams, Herbert William (1917) “mara”, in A Dictionary of the Maori Language, page 210
• “mara” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.

Mapudungun

Noun

mara (Raguileo spelling)

1. rabbit
2. hare

References

• Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.

Maranao

Etymology

Akin to Tetum maran.

Adjective

mara

1. dry

Martuthunira

Etymology

From Proto-Ngayarda *mara, from Proto-Pama-Nyungan *mara.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maɻa/

Noun

mara

1. hand

References

• Barry Alpher Proto-Pama-Nyungan etyma, in Australian Languages: Classification and the Comparative Method, edited by Claire Bowern and Harold Koch (Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2004)
• Dench, Alan Charles. 1995. Martuthunira: A Language of the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. Series C-125.

Ngiyambaa

Etymology

From Proto-Pama-Nyungan *mara.

Noun

mara

1. hand

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• maren m

Noun

mara f

1. definite singular of mare

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

mara f (definite singular mara, indefinite plural marer or maror, definite plural marene or marone)

1. (pre-2012) alternative form of mare
2. definite singular of mare

Verb

mara (present tense marar, past tense mara, past participle mara, passive infinitive marast, present participle marande, imperative mara/mar)

1. Alternative form of mare

Anagrams

• amar, arma

Nyunga

Alternative forms

• marra
• maar (eastern dialect)

Etymology

From Proto-Pama-Nyungan *mara.

Noun

mara

1. (northern dialect) hand

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːrɑ/

Adjective

māra

1. comparative degree of miċel: more
2. greater
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "Midlent Sunday"

     Māre wundor is þæt God Ælmihtig ǣlce dæġ fēt ealne middangeard,...

     A greater miracle it is that God Almighty every day feeds all the world,...

Declension

Declension of māra — Weak only

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	māra	māre	māre
Accusative	māran	māran	māre
Genitive	māran	māran	māran
Dative	māran	māran	māran
Instrumental	māran	māran	māran
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	māran	māran	māran
Accusative	māran	māran	māran
Genitive	mārra, mārena	mārra, mārena	mārra, mārena
Dative	mārum	mārum	mārum
Instrumental	mārum	mārum	mārum

Descendants

• Middle English: more, mare, moore
  • English: more
  • Geordie English: mair
  • Scots: mair
  • Yola: more, mo'

Old Norse

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *marǭ.

Noun

mara f (genitive mǫru)

1. nightmare, incubus

Declension

Declension of mara (weak ōn-stem)

feminine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mara	maran	mǫrur	mǫrurnar
accusative	mǫru	mǫruna	mǫrur	mǫrurnar
dative	mǫru	mǫrunni	mǫrum	mǫrunum
genitive	mǫru	mǫrunnar	marna	marnanna

Descendants

• Danish: mare c
• Icelandic: mara f
• Norwegian Nynorsk: mare f
• Norwegian Bokmål: mare m or f
• Swedish: mara c

Etymology 2

Probably related to marr m (“sea”).

Verb

mara

1. to be waterlogged, float low in the water

   marði þá undir þeim skipit

Conjugation

Conjugation of mara — active (weak class 3)

infinitive	mara
present participle	marandi
past participle	maraðr
	indicative			subjunctive
	present	past		present	past
1st person singular	mari	marða		mara	merða
2nd person singular	marir	marðir		marir	merðir
3rd person singular	marir	marði		mari	merði
1st person plural	mǫrum	mǫrðum		marim	merðim
2nd person plural	marið	mǫrðuð		marið	merðið
3rd person plural	mara	mǫrðu		mari	merði
imperative	present
2nd person singular	mar
1st person plural	mǫrum
2nd person plural	marið

Conjugation of mara — mediopassive (weak class 3)

infinitive	marask
present participle	marandisk
past participle	marazk
	indicative			subjunctive
	present	past		present	past
1st person singular	mǫrumk	mǫrðumk		marumk	merðumk
2nd person singular	marisk	marðisk		marisk	merðisk
3rd person singular	marisk	marðisk		marisk	merðisk
1st person plural	mǫrumsk	mǫrðumsk		marimsk	merðimsk
2nd person plural	marizk	mǫrðuzk		marizk	merðizk
3rd person plural	marask	mǫrðusk		marisk	merðisk
imperative	present
2nd person singular	marsk
1st person plural	mǫrumsk
2nd person plural	marizk

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

mara

1. genitive plural of marr
2. genitive plural of marr

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “mara”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀫𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• मर (Devanagari script)
• মর (Bengali script)
• මර (Sinhalese script)
• မရ (Burmese script)
• มร or มะระ (Thai script)
• ᨾᩁ (Tai Tham script)
• ມຣ or ມະຣະ (Lao script)
• មរ (Khmer script)
• 𑄟𑄢 (Chakma script)

Verb

mara

1. second-person singular imperative active of marati (“to die”)

Panyjima

Etymology

From Proto-Ngayarda *mara, from Proto-Pama-Nyungan *mara.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maɻa/

Noun

mara

1. hand

References

• Barry Alpher Proto-Pama-Nyungan etyma, in Australian Languages: Classification and the Comparative Method, edited by Claire Bowern and Harold Koch (Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2004)
• Dench, Alan. 1991. ‘Panyjima’. R.M.W. Dixon, Barry J. Blake (eds.) The Handbook of Australian Languages, Volume 4. Melbourne: Oxford University Press Australia, 125–244.

Papiamentu

Etymology

From Portuguese amarrar and Spanish amarrar and Kabuverdianu mára.

The Portuguese word comes from Dutch aanmeren.

Verb

mara

1. to tie

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.ra/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ara
• Syllabification: ma‧ra

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *mara. Compare English mare, German Mahr.

Noun

mara f

1. (literary) A dream, nightmare.
2. (Slavic mythology) A creature believed to drain sleeping people of their blood or energy; wight, mare.

Declension

Declension of mara

	singular	plural
nominative	mara	mary
genitive	mary	mar
dative	marze	marom
accusative	marę	mary
instrumental	marą	marami
locative	marze	marach
vocative	maro	mary

Descendants

• → Belarusian: ма́ра (mára)

See also

• zmora

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

mara

1. third-person singular present of marać

Further reading

• mara in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• mara in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Wanda Decyk-Zięba, editor (2018-2022), “mara”, in Dydaktyczny Słownik Etymologiczno-historyczny Języka Polskiego [A Didactic, Historical, Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish), →ISBN

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.ɾɐ/

• Homophone: Mara

Etymology 1

Adjective

mara (invariable)

1. (Brazil, slang) Clipping of maravilhoso.
   • Carmen Pimentel (quoting “Siba”), Comunidades virtuais, comunidades linguísticas in 2015, Idioma, n. 29, page 192:

     Hum 700 g a menos tá mara!

     Some 700 fewer grams would be great!

   • 2018, Valentina Schulz, O Diário da Valen: Confissões de um ano inesquecível, Editora Alto Astral, page 61:

     O importante é que a pizza estava mara e conseguimos estudar e jogar um pouco de Xbox (perdi feio, só pra constar).

     The important thing is that the pizza was great and we were able to study and play some Xbox (I lost badly, just so you know).

   • 2019, Wagner Fontoura, O Cozinheiro de Bangu, Nau Editora, page 144:

     Arthur, o negócio aqui tá mara!

     Arthur, things are awesome here!

Etymology 2

From Spanish mara.

Noun

mara f (plural maras)

1. mara (Central American street gang)

Etymology 3

Verb

mara

1. inflection of marar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Rapa Nui

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mala, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *malaŋ.

Verb

mara

1. to start rotting, going bad

Noun

mara

1. lump, bruise (from a blow)

Further reading

• Rapanui-English Dictionary

Scottish Gaelic

Noun

mara f sg

1. genitive singular of muir (“sea, ocean”)

Mutation

Mutation of mara

radical	lenition
mara	mhara

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaɾa/ [ˈma.ɾa]
• Rhymes: -aɾa
• Syllabification: ma‧ra

Etymology 1

Clipping of marabunta.

Noun

mara f (plural maras)

1. (colloquial) people in one's in-group, crew, gang, squad

   Cariño, hoy en la noche saldré con la mara de la empresa. ― Honey, tonight I'm going out with the crew from work.

2. (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico) criminal gang

   Synonym: pandilla

   A mediados de 2012, se acordó una tregua entre las maras salvadoreñas y el gobierno local. ― In mid-2012, a truce was orchestrated between Salvadorian gangs and the local government.

Derived terms

• Mara Salvatrucha
• marero

Etymology 2

Noun

mara f (plural maras)

1. Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum)

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Tamil மரம் (maram, “tree”) (occurring in the names of many woods).

Noun

mara f (plural maras)

1. Calophyllum calaba

Etymology 4

Noun

mara f (plural maras)

1. Obsolete form of maga (“Thespesia grandiflora”).

Further reading

• “mara”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Sundanese

Noun

mara (Sundanese script ᮙᮛ)

1. (botany) Macaranga tanarius (parasol leaf tree)

Further reading

• Coolsma, S (1913) Soendaneesch-Hollandsch Woordenboek (in Dutch), Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff's Uitgeversmaatschappij

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic مَرَّة (marra).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

mara class IX (plural mara class X)

1. time (used to form adverbial numbers, as in "one time" (i.e. once))

Usage notes

• See Appendix:Swahili numbers#Adverbial numbers.

Derived terms

• mara kwa mara (“from time to time, occasionally”)
• mara moja (“once; immediately, right away”)

Adverb

mara

1. suddenly
   • 1973, Mohammed S. Abdulla, Duniani kuna watu, page 3:

     […] lakini mara alijikuta akisema kichinichini, "Potelea mbali, nitakwenda."

     […] but suddenly he found himself saying secretly, "To hell, I'll go."

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²mɑːra/
• Rhymes: -²ɑːra

Etymology 1

From Old Norse mara, from Proto-Germanic *marǭ; cognate to Old English mare or mære.

Noun

mara c

1. a mythological creature blamed for giving people nightmares

Declension

Declension of mara

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	mara	maras
	definite	maran	marans
plural	indefinite	maror	marors
	definite	marorna	marornas

Derived terms

• nattmara
• satmara

Etymology 2

Noun

mara c

1. Clipping of maratonlopp n (“marathon race”).

Declension

Declension of mara

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	mara	maras
	definite	maran	marans
plural	indefinite	maror	marors
	definite	marorna	marornas

References

• mara in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• mara in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• mara in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• aram., arma, rama

Welsh

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈmara/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈmaːra/, /ˈmara/

Noun

mara

1. Nasal mutation of bara (“bread”).

Mutation

Mutated forms of bara

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
bara	fara	mara	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Yámana

Verb

mara

1. hear

Synonyms

• muS