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free·mar·tin

(frēmär′tn)

A female animal, usually a calf, that is born as the twin of a male animal and is sterile because of having abnormal internal reproductive organs.

[Probably free-, of unknown origin + an element akin to Scots mart, ox or cow fattened for slaughter (as freemartins often are) (from Scottish Gaelic, from Old Irish), perhaps influenced by the name of St. Martin of Tours, because cattle were traditionally slaughtered and salted for winter use on Martinmas.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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