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

Etymology

Uncertain. Theories include:

• 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

1. 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

• *ehwaz
• *marhaz
• *wigją

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