Marred
/mɑːrd/noun
Damaged, spoiled, or made less perfect.
Did you know?The verb behind “marred” is linked to Old Norse merja, meaning “to bruise” or “crush,” giving the word a surprisingly physical origin rather than a merely aesthetic one.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*marjaną
“To damage, spoil, or hinder; reconstructed ancestral form”
Old Norse
Old Norse
merja
“To bruise, crush, or pound”
Middle English
Middle English
marren
“To damage, spoil, or impair”
14th Century
English
mar
“To spoil or ruin the appearance or quality of something”
Modern English
English
marred
“Damaged, spoiled, or disfigured”