LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

marra

marra f (genitive marrae)
Classical[ˈmar.ra]Ecclesiastical[ˈmar.ra]

Meaning

  1. femininehoe
  2. femininehook, weeding-hook

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemarramarrae
genitivemarraemarrārum
dativemarraemarrīs
accusativemarrammarrās
ablativemarrāmarrīs
vocativemarramarrae

marra, ae, f. etym. unknown,
I. a sort of hoe for tearing up weeds, a weeding-hook, = ligo (post-Aug.).
I. Lit.: tu penitus latis eradere viscera marris Ne dubita, Col. 10, 72; id. 10, 89; Plin. 17, 21, 35, § 159; Juv. 15, 166.—
II. Transf., a hook: (Silurus) in Danubio marris extrahitur, Plin. 9, 14, 17, § 45.

Origins

Uncertain. Possibly from Semitic via Ancient Greek μάρρον (márrhon); compare Akkadian marru (marru [^(GEŠ)MAR]), Classical Syriac ܡܪܐ (marra), and Arabic مَرّ (marr). Alternatively, the linguist Stefan Höfler proposes that the term may derive from Proto-Indo-European *merh₂-, whence also perhaps Proto-Celtic *marnati. According to Höfler, a hypothetical neuter s-stem *mérh₂-os (“crushing”) may have produced an adjective *mr̥h₂-s-ó- (“having crushing”), which then could have formed a noun *mr̥h₂-s-eh₂ (“crusher”). This Proto-Indo-European form may have then produced Proto-Italic *marasā, which perhaps was reduced to *marsā, which itself may have then shifted to marra.

Descendants
  • Frenchmarre
  • Italianmarra
  • Corsicanmarra
  • Corsicanmerra
  • Galicianmarra

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesMarraMarra was apparently a sort of single-headed pick-axe, perhaps heavier and with a broader head than the ligo, for Columella (10.72) applies the epithe…

Quick answers

What does marra mean in Latin?
marra, a noun, means “hoe; hook, weeding-hook”.
What is the genitive of marra?
The genitive singular is marrae. marra is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce marra?
In classical Latin, [ˈmar.ra]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈmar.ra].