mareel

M3A1R1E1E1L1
UK/ˈmɑːɹiːl/UK/mɑˈɹiːl/US/mɑˈɹil/

noun

Seafire, phosphorescence on the ocean, especially around the Shetland Islands.

OriginOld Norse mǫrueldr →
Scrabble 8
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Meanings

nounmareel (uncountable)
  1. ShetlanduncountableSeafire, phosphorescence on the ocean, especially around the Shetland Islands.

    […] as bright As the sheenin' mareel o' the sea.

    1892, George Stewart, Shetland Fireside Tales: Or, The Hermit of Trosswickness, page 239
    2 more examples

    […] rushing towards the opposite shore like a streak of mareel […]

    1898 October 15, Shetland News

    This is especially the case in late summer when the sea is aflame with mareel and the boats come and go with illumined wakes while the ghostly fire drips from the oar-blades.

    1956, The Scots Magazine, volume 65, page 200

Origin

  1. Old Norsemǫrueldr
  2. Englishmareel

From an unattested Norn term *mareld, from Old Norse mǫrueldr, from marr (“sea”) + eldr (“fire”). Compare Icelandic maurildi, Swedish mareld.

More words from Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

AlmereMarleeLeamerLameremealer
Cite this entry
APA

mareel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mareel

MLA

“mareel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mareel. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mareel,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mareel.

Source: mareel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.