mar

Etymology 1

From Middle English merren, from Old English mierran (“to mar, disturb, confuse; scatter, squander, waste; upset, hinder, obstruct; err”), from Proto-Germanic *marzijaną (“to disturb, hinder”), from Proto-Indo-European *mers- (“to annoy, disturb, neglect, forget, ignore”). Cognate with Scots mer, mar (“to obstruct, impede, spoil, ruin”), Dutch marren (“to push along, delay, hinder”), dialectal German merren (“to entangle”), Icelandic merja (“to bruise, crush”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽 (marzjan, “to annoy, bother, disturb, offend”), Lithuanian miršti (“to forget, lose, become oblivious, die”), Armenian մոռանալ (moṙanal, “to forget, fail”), Sanskrit mṛṣ (“forget, neglect”).

verb

1. (transitive) To spoil; to ruin; to scathe; to damage.
   Ire, envy, and despair / Marred all his borrowed visage, and betrayed / Him counterfeit. 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker under Creed Church neer Aldgate; and by Robert Boulter at the Turks Head in Bishopsgate-street; and Matthias Walker, under St. Dunstons Church in Fleet-street, →OCLC
   […] I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 1826, Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments: The Text Printed from the Most Correct Copies of the Present Authorized Translation, including the Marginal Readings and Parallel Texts. With a Commentary and Critical Notes. Designed as a Help to a Better Understanding of the Sacred Writings, Royal Octavo Stereotype edition, volume IV, New York, N.Y.: Published by N. Bangs and J. Emory, for the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the Conference Office, 13, Crosby-Street, Jeremiah 18:3–4, page 53
   Sin defiles the soul; it mars its beauty, impairs its health and vigor. It perverts its powers, and deranges all its dignified energies and attributes. 1856, Jabez Burns, “The Heralds of Mercy”, in Cyclopedia of Sermons: Containing Sketches of Sermons on the Parables and Miracles of Christ, on Christian Missions, on Scripture Characters and Incidents; on Subjects Appropriate for the Sick Room, Family Reading and Village Worship and some Special Occasions, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, 346 & 348 Broadway, →OCLC, page 253
   The Court's ability to reinterpret the words in the treaty that do not appeal to it mars its logic, and demeans other words there, most significantly the solemnity of the United States oath. 2000, Vanessa Gunther, “The Indian Giver”, in Gordon Morris Bakken, editor, Law in the Western United States (Legal History of North America; 6), Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, page 271
   [page 85] Mar resistance is related to abrasion resistance, but there is an important difference. Abrasion may go deeply into the coating, whereas marring is usually a near-surface phenomenon; mars less than 0.5 μm deep can degrade appearance. […] [page 210] Eventually, sufficient resin can accumulate to drip down on products going through the ovens, marring their finish. 2007, Zeno W. Wicks, Jr., Frank N. Jones, S. Peter Pappas, Douglas A. Wicks, Organic Coatings: Science and Technology, 3rd edition, Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley-Interscience, pages 85 and 210
   They extracted a ninth boy on Tuesday, the Thai Navy said, with reports suggesting two more. If confirmed, one child and an adult remain to be rescued, bringing to a close an epic operation marred by one diver's death. 2018-07-10, “Cave rescue: Final push under way in Thailand”, in bbc.com, BBC, retrieved 2018-07-10

noun

1. A blemish.
   For concealing deep mars, some manufacturers offer putty sticks in colors that match their panels. 1980, Robert M. Jones, editor, Walls and Ceilings, Time-Life Books, page 68

Etymology 2

See mere. Doublet of mare and mere.

noun

1. A small lake.

Etymology 3

See mayor.

noun

1. (obsolete) Alternative form of mayor and mair.