Etymograph

English

ear

Ear comes from Middle English eare, from Old English ēare, from Proto-Germanic *ausô, from PIE *h₂ṓws ‘ear’, from *h₂ew- ‘to perceive’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-1‘to perceive’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ṓws1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ausô1reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*auʀā1reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150ēare1
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eare1
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1599ear1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English ear
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-Wiktionary, English ear‘to perceive’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ṓwsWiktionary, English earreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ausôWiktionary, English earreconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*auʀāWiktionary, English earreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150ēareWiktionary, English ear
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eareWiktionary, English ear
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1599earWiktionary, English ear. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to perceive’

love, audience, egg, aviation, audit, oval, obey, avid, audible, anesthesia, ey, ovation, avian, acoustics, auspicious, aviator, acoustical, avarice, ocarina, aviary, 64 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws

acoustic, aural, otolaryngology, 41 more

Another origin of ear

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-‘sharp’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éḱos‘sharpness’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ahaz‘ear (of grain)’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ahaʀ‘ear (of grain)’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150ēar‘ear (of grain)’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500er
  7. Englishtodayear

Today it means

noun The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna or auricle, auditory canal, eardrum, malleus, incus, stapes and cochlea.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ear”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- / ear

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