Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word Ross. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word Ross, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say Ross in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word Ross you have here. The definition of the word Ross will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofRoss, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
As an English surname, from Wrose in Shipley, with loss of initial w.
As an English and German surname, from derivatives of the old Germanic root common in names *hrōþi(“fame”). Compare Rossell.
As a Cornish surname, from several places in Cornwall deriving from ros(“heathland”), related to the above Celtic word meaning "heath" or "promontory." See Rouse.
As a Jewish and German occupational surname for a breeder of horses,[1] from the regional/poetic noun Ross(“horse”).
... Dort seh’ ich Grane, mein selig Roß: \ wie weidet er munter der mit mir schlief! \ Mit mir hat ihn Siegfried erweckt. — Richard Wagner, Siegfried, Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene.
I see Grane there, my trusty steed: \ how happily he grazes, he who was asleep like me! \ Siegfried woke him along with me.
1914, His Majesty the Emperor of Germany Wilhelm II, An das Deutsche Volk
Wir werden uns wehren bis zum letzten Hauch von Mann und Roß
Ich bin der Reiter / Du bist das Ross / Ich hab den Schlüssel / Du hast das Schloß / Die Tür geht auf / Ich trete ein / Das Leben kann so prachtvoll sein
I am the rider / You are the horse / I have the key / You have the castle / The door opens / I enter / Life can be so gorgeous
Ross is a normal word for “horse”, alongside Pferd, in many parts of southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In northern and central Germany, Ross is perceived as being used in an elevated style, but even in a humoristic way.
The plurals Rosse and Rösser are equally acceptable and roughly equally common, though the former is traditionally preferred in written standard German.