mareel en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈmɑːɹiːl/ (UK)
- /mɑˈɹiːl/ (UK)
- /mɑˈɹil/ (US)
Etymology
From an unattested Norn term *mareld, from Old Norse mǫrueldr, from marr (“sea”) + eldr (“fire”). Compare Icelandic maurildi, Swedish mareld.
Meanings
-
(Shetland, uncountable) Seafire, phosphorescence on the ocean, especially around the Shetland Islands.
[…] rushing towards the opposite shore like a streak of mareel […]
1898 October 15, Shetland News:This is especially the case in late summer when the sea is aflame with mareel and the boats come and go with illumined wakes while the ghostly fire drips from the oar-blades.
1956, The Scots Magazine, volume 65, page 200:[…] as bright As the sheenin' mareel o' the sea.
1892, George Stewart, Shetland Fireside Tales: Or, The Hermit of Trosswickness, page 239: