Etymology: < Anglo-Norman and Old French marle (13th cent.; now usually (with dissimilation) marne (1287; already in post-classical Latin as marna in 1266); compare French regional (Normandy) mal , French regional (southern) marlo , also Occitan marlo ) < post-classical Latin margila (9th cent.; also marla (from c1170 in British sources)) < classical Latin marga ( < Gaulish marga : see below) + -illa -illa suffix. Compare Spanish marga (1705); also ( < post-classical Latin margila ) Middle Dutch maerghel , mergel (Dutch mergel ), Middle Low German mergel , Old High German mergil (Middle High German mergel , German Mergel ), Danish mergel , Swedish märgel ; also ( < Old French, Middle French, French marle ) Breton merl , Middle Dutch marle , merle ; and ( < French marne ) Italian marna (a1770). Slightly earlier currency in English is probably implied by marl v.¹, marled adj.¹The Gaulish word, and its compounds acaunumarga and glisomarga , are in Pliny Nat. Hist. 17. 42–46. Early Irish meirc rust may perhaps be connected with this word, though the precise relationship is obscure (Irish marla (1548 or earlier) and Welsh marl (c1400) are < English); the semantic shift between ‘earth’ and ‘rust’ might also be illustrated in the possible derivation of Breton mergl rust, mildew < post-classical Latin margila . Attested early in place names and surnames: compare le Marle (1245), Estmarle (1350), Westmarle (1350) all in Hampshire; and Walter Marleward (1265), Henry atte Merlis (1292), Henr' atte Marle (1333). The early spelling murle in the compound marl-pit n. is not easily explained, and may perhaps show an error (the same spelling is attested once in the 15th cent. for marl v.¹).

Etymology: Contracted < marvel n.¹; compare slightly earlier marl v.⁴

Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps contracted < marble n. (perhaps compare sense 4a at that entry; compare marl n.⁴, marl n.⁵). Compare later marlin n.¹ N.E.D. (1905) gives the pronunciation as (māɹl) /mɑːl/.

Etymology: Contracted < marble n. or its variant marvel n.²; in the former case, loss of -b- would be comparable with that of marl n.⁵, marl v.³, marled adj.², and marly adj.², and in the latter, loss of -v- would be comparable with that of marl n.² and marl v.⁴ Compare earlier marloes n., and marley n.

Etymology: Either shortened < marled adj.² or contracted < marble adj. (see sense 2 s.v., and compare marble n. 4a); compare marl n.⁴

Etymology: < Nyungar (Perth–Albany region) maarl (also marla).

Etymology: < marl n.¹ (although this is first attested slightly later). Compare post-classical Latin marlare (from c1159 in British sources), Anglo-Norman marler (late 13th cent. or earlier), Old French marler (c1207 in a Norman text, c1270 in a Picard text), Middle French, French marner (1564), Middle Dutch marlen, mergelen (Dutch mergelen), Middle Low German mergelen, Middle High German mergeln (German mergeln), Danish mergle, Swedish märgla.

Etymology: Probably < mar v. + -le suffix 3, after snarl v.¹ Compare discussion s.v. marl v.⁵

Etymology: Origin uncertain; compare later marble v. 4 and discussion at that entry (marill v. is probably a later variant of the present word).

Etymology: Contracted < marvel v.¹; compare marl n.² and marl n.⁴, and for the loss of -v- before a consonant, compare e.g. lady n., lark n.¹, lord n. and int., poor adj.

Etymology: Back-formation < marling, variant of marline n. Compare Dutch marlen, marrelen to fasten with marline (1671; probably also a back-formation < Dutch marling (1593)), and later attested German regional (Low German) marlen, German marlen, Swedish märla, Danish mærle, merle, all in the same sense.Alternatively, Dutch marlen , marrelen is perhaps a frequentative formation < Middle Dutch merren to tie (compare marl v.²); it is not attested in Middle Dutch, although the existence of such a frequentative in Middle Low German is perhaps implied by Middle Low German marlinc marline n. Dutch regional (West Flanders) marlen , maarlen , merlen to yoke the horses of two different farmers together in the same wagon, plough, or harrow, either represents an extension of the nautical sense, or perhaps an earlier independent development from a frequentative verb as posited above (compare marl v.²: despite the semantic similarity there is no evidence of a link). N.E.D. (1905) gives the pronunciation as (māɹl) /mɑːl/.