From Proto-Indo-European *ḱeh₂s-. Compare with Welsh cannu (“to whiten”), ceinach (“hare”), English hare, Latin cascus (“old”), Old Prussian sasins (“hare”), Pashto سوی (soe, “hare”), and Sanskrit शश (śaśa, “hare”).
*hasô m
Verner alternation was preserved in this noun, so that some forms had the stem *haz-. But the distribution of the alternants is currently unknown. According to Kroonen, this noun also contained vowel ablaut in its declension, for example between nominative singular *hesô and genitive singular *haznaz.[1]
masculine an-stemDeclension of *hesô (masculine an-stem) | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | ||
nominative | *hesô | *hesaniz | |
vocative | *hesô | *hesaniz | |
accusative | *hesanų | *haznunz | |
genitive | *haznaz | *haznǫ̂ | |
dative | *hazini | *hazummaz | |
instrumental | *haznē | *hazummiz |
Due to the vowel ablaut and Verner's law consonant alternations, several stems are attested throughout the descendants. Proto-West Germanic preserves the alternation in the consonant, but levels the vowel alternation.
From *hesô:
From hezô:
From hazô: