marais (French)
Where does "marais" come from?
The French word 'marais' began as the Frankish word '*marisk', which was used to describe swamps and wetlands. It entered Medieval Latin as 'mariscus' before evolving into the Old French 'mareis' and later the Middle French form we recognize today. While originally referring only to wild marshlands, the term eventually expanded to describe fertile land reclaimed from swamps for growing vegetables.
Full etymology tree
- marais (French), 'swamp, marsh'
- inherited marais (Middle French)
- inherited mareis (Old French), 'marsh'
- borrowed *marisk (Frankish)
- inherited mareis (Old French), 'marsh'
- inherited marais (Middle French)
Ancestors
- mareis (Old French)
Descendants and derived words
- chat des marais (French)
- cirse des marais (French)
- hibou des marais (French)
- maraîchage (French)
- maraîcher (French)
- maraîcher (French)
- maraîchin (French)
- Marais (French)
- Marais breton (French)
- marais salant (French)
- populage des marais (French)
Updated May 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris