mire

Where it comes from

Inherited from Latin mīles (“soldier”). The original sense of soldier is still attested in some Christmas carols. The semantic evolution originates in Roman law, which granted soldiers the right to marry only upon their release from service as veterans (see also: bătrân). Consequently, once married, a man was no longer a miles. It is less likely that the sense of bridegroom arose as a semantic calque of the rare word voină (“husband”), from Slavic воинъ (voinŭ, “warrior”).

Other improbable etymologies proposed include: Turkish amir (“chief”), Cuman mir ("prince"), a Vulgar Latin *mīrex, from Ancient Greek μεῖραξ (meîrax, “adolescent; boy”) or an old Indo-European term.

Replaced mărit, which only survived in some regional dialects.