smwl

The origin is uncertain.

Related to Parthian σίμωρ (símōr, “a kind of fur-bearing field-mouse”) and Sanskrit समूर (samūra, “animal prized for its fur, perhaps sable”). Mayrhofer considers the latter to be borrowed directly from Iranian, perhaps Parthian.

According to some, we are dealing with a word of Turkic origin. But this is rejected by Doerfer, because the Turkic words are themselves borrowed from Persian, being present exclusively in Persian-influenced Turkic languages.

According to Wikander (apud Mayrhofer) the word is ultimately of "Central Asian" origin.

Old East Slavic соболь (sobolĭ), the source of the European words for “sable”, including English sable, may somehow be related.

smwl • (*samōr)

1. sable (marten)

Taking Middle Persian as representative for all Middle Iranian:

• Persian: سمور‎ (sammūr, samūr), صمور‎ (ṣamūr)
  • → Kurdish:

    Northern Kurdish: semûr

  • → Middle Armenian: սամուր (samur)
  • → Ottoman Turkish: سمور‎ (samur)
    • Turkish: samur
    • → Albanian: samur
    • → Armenian: սամուր (samur), սամուռ (samuṙ)
    • → Bulgarian: саму́р (samúr), съму́рь (sǎmúrʹ)
    • → Byzantine Greek: σαμούριον (samoúrion)
      • → Greek: σαμούρι (samoúri)
      • → Old Church Slavonic: самѹринъ (samurinŭ)
    • → Crimean Tatar: samur / самур
    • → Macedonian: самур (samur)
    • → Romanian: samur
    • → Serbo-Croatian: sàmūr / са̀мӯр
  • → Romani: samur
  • → Turkmen: samyr / самыр
• → Arabic: سَمُّور‎ (sammūr)
  • → Spanish: zamarra, chamarra (possibly)
    • → Italian: zimarra
      • → Sicilian: cimarra
      • → French: simarre
        • → English: simar
    • → Old French: chamarre
      • → Middle English: chimere, chimer
        • English: chimere
• → Classical Syriac: ܣܡܘܪܐ‎ (sammūrā)
• → Georgian: სამური (samuri), სიასამური (siasamuri)
• → Hebrew: סַמּוּר‎ (sammûr)
• → Old Armenian: սամոյր (samoyr)
  • Armenian: սամույր (samuyr)

• MacKenzie, D. N. (1971) A concise Pahlavi dictionary, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, page 73
• Ačaṙean, Hračʿeay (1979), “սամոյր”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Dictionary of Armenian Root Words] (in Armenian), volume IV, 2nd edition, reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, Yerevan: University Press, page 168
• Hübschmann, Heinrich (1897) Armenische Grammatik. 1. Theil: Armenische Etymologie (in German), Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, page 236
• Lokotsch, Karl (1927) Etymologisches Wörterbuch der europäischen Wörter orientalischen Ursprungs (in German), Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, § 1820, page 144b
• Cabolov, R. L. (2010) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ kurdskovo jazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Kurdish Language] (in Russian), volume II, Moscow: Russian Academy Press Vostochnaya Literatura, page 232
• Doerfer, Gerhard (1967) Türkische und mongolische Elemente im Neupersischen [Turkic and Mongolian Elements in New Persian] (Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur: Veröffentlichungen der Orientalischen Kommission; 20) (in German), volume III, Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, pages 266–267
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary] (in German), volume III, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 440
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–), “samur”, in Nişanyan Sözlük