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mur·rain

(mûrĭn)

1. Any of various highly infectious diseases of cattle, as anthrax.

2. Obsolete A pestilence or dire disease.

[Middle English moreine, from Old French morine, from Medieval Latin morina, from Latin morī, to die; see mer- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

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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