The story
- Proto-Indo-European*mer-?
- Proto-Indo-European*móri
- Proto-Germanic*mari
- Proto-West Germanic*mari
- Proto-West Germanic*marisk
- Old Englishmersċ
- Latinmalva
- Proto-West Germanic*malwā
- Old Englishmealwe
- Old Englishmersċmealwe
- English todaymarshmallow
From Old English mersċmealwe, corresponding to marsh + mallow.
First known use, by meaning
- from 9th c. Marsh mallow, a species of mallow, Althaea officinalis, that grows in marshy terrain.
- from 19th c. A type of confectionery, originally (since Ancient Egyptian times) made from this plant, but now generally made of sugar or corn syrup, gelatin that has been presoftened in water, gum arabic, flavorings, and sometimes beaten egg whites, all whipped to a spongy consistency.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.