Comparative evidence

h₂merd

• OInd. mṛd-/mrad- 'rub', 'crush' (Whitney 1885: 126); 'press', 'squeeze', 'crush', 'pound', 'smash', 'trample' (down), 'tread' (upon), 'destroy', 'waste', 'ravage', 'kill', 'slay'; 'rub', 'stroke', 'wipe'; 'mingle' (with); ''touch', 'pass through' (a constellation); 'overcome', 'surpass' (MW: 830)

References

MW = Monier-Williams, M. 1899. A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Clarendon Press.
Whitney 1885 = Whitney W. D. 1885. The roots, verb forms and primary derivatives of the Sanskrit language. A supplement to his Sanskrit grammar. Leipzig.