Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hrussą

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Alternative forms

*hursą^[1]

Etymology

Uncertain. Theories include:^[1]^[2]

From Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós (“vehicle”, literally “runner”), derived from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”).
Borrowed from an Iranian language, from Proto-Iranian *(w)ŕ̥šā (“male animal”). Compare Ossetian уырс (wyrs, “stallion”). (Favored by Orel.)
Less likely, derived from *hreusaną; compare Old English hrēosan (“to fall”), Old High German riosan (“to fall, plunge, rush”) and Lithuanian krùšti (“to trample”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈxrus.sɑ̃/

Noun

*hrussą n^[2]

horse

Inflection

neuter a-stemDeclension of *hrussą (neuter a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*hrussą	*hrussō
vocative	*hrussą	*hrussō
accusative	*hrussą	*hrussō
genitive	hrussas, hrussis	*hrussǫ̂
dative	*hrussai	*hrussamaz
instrumental	*hrussō	*hrussamiz

Synonyms

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *hross, *hors
- Old English: hors
  - Middle English: hors, horse, horsse, horce, ors
    - English: horse; hoss (see there for further descendants)
    - Scots: horse, hors
- Old Frisian: hors, hars, hers, ros
  - North Frisian: hors
  - ⇒ Saterland Frisian: rosje, rösje (“to groom (a horse)”, verb)
  - West Frisian: hoars; rosje (“to groom (a horse)”, verb)
- Old Saxon: hros, hross, hors
  - Middle Low German: ros, ors
    - >? German Low German: Hüsi, Hiesi (children's word for horsey)
- Old Dutch: hors, ors, hers, ros
  - Middle Dutch: ors, hors, hers, ers, ros
    - Dutch: ros, hors (dialectal)
      - Afrikaans: ros
      - ⇒ Dutch: rossen (“to groom (a horse)”, verb)
        → West Frisian: rosse (verb)
- Old High German: hros, ros
  - Middle High German: ros, ors
    - Alemannic German: Ross
    - Bavarian: Ross
    - Central Franconian:
      Hunsrik: Ross
      Transylvanian Saxon: Räuss
    - German: Ross
- → Vulgar Latin: *rossa (see there for further descendants)
Old Norse: hross, hors
- Icelandic: hross, hors
- Faroese: ross, hors
- Norn: russ
- Norwegian:
  - Norwegian Bokmål: røss-
  - Norwegian Nynorsk: hors (“mare”)
- Old Swedish: hors
  - Swedish: russ, hors (dialectal)
- Danish: hors (dialectal)
- Gutnish: russ
→ Proto-Samic:
- Northern Sami: rossi

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Guus Kroonen (2013) “*hursa-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 259
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*xrussan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 189

[Kroonen-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Guus Kroonen (2013) “*hursa-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 259

[Orel-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Vladimir Orel (2003) “*xrussan”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 189

[1]

[2]