Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Mare

The female of the horse and other equine quadrupeds.

Origin: oe. Mere, as. Mere, myre, fem of as. Mearh horse, akin to D. Merrie mare, g. Mahre, OHG. Marah horse, meriha mare, Icel. Marr horse, OCelt. Marka (Pausan. 19, 19,4), ir. Marc, W. March. Cf. Marshal.

(Science: medicine) Sighing, suffocative panting, intercepted utterance, with a sense of pressure across the chest, occurring during sleep; the incubus; obsolete, except in the compound nightmare. I will ride thee o' nights like the mare. (Shak)

Origin: as. Mara incubus; akin to OHG. & Icel. Mara; cf. Pol. Mora, Bohem. Mra.