Koki Yamaguchi's diary

Murus

#etymology Published: 2021-12-15

The Latin word “mūrus” means “a wall”. In this post, let me write about several words derived from this origin.

mural

“Mural” means a large picture that has been painted on the wall. This word itself doesn’t really mean “a wall” in a general sense, but it can mean different kinds of walls depending on a specific prefix. For example, “intramural” means “performed within the walls of a city or building”1. In this case, the wall can mean both a physical wall and a metaphorical wall (e.g., “intramural sports” refers to “sports organized within a single educational institution”). “Transmural” means “existing or occurring across the wall of an organ” in the context of medicine.

pomerium

Pomerium refers to “the religious boundary of a city of Rome”2. This word is the combination of “post” (behind) and mūrus.

immure

Lastly, “immure” means “to shut up within walls”. This can be used in a figurative sense.

1826 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey II. iii. i. 3
To immure himself for three years in a German University.3

  1. The prefix “intra-“ usually means “within” (cf. intrauterine). ↩

  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomerium ↩

  3. “immure, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2021. Web. 15 December 2021. ↩

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