Etymograph

English

hawser

Hawser comes from Anglo-Norman haucer, from Vulgar Latin *altiāre ‘to raise’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘grow, nourish’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-1‘grow, nourish’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eltós1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*altos1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaltus2‘high’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*altiāre2‘to raise’reconstructed
  6. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400haucer2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hauser2
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1881–1882hawser2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin altus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English hawser
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Ebb-tide Runs: “The hawser was as taut as a bowstring, and…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-Wiktionary, Latin altus‘grow, nourish’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eltósWiktionary, Latin altusreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*altosWiktionary, Latin altusreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaltusWiktionary, English hawser‘high’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*altiāreWiktionary, English hawser‘to raise’reconstructed
  6. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400haucerWiktionary, English hawser
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hauserWiktionary, English hawser
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1881–1882hawserWiktionary, English hawser. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Ebb-tide Runs: “The hawser was as taut as a bowstring, and…”

The story

Altered in English by mistaken association with hawse and perhaps haul.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘grow, nourish’

as, all, else, adult, el, ultimate, element, alien, ultra, ellen, alternate, alumni, qualification, outrage, alter, ou, alpine, adolescent, abolish, alias, alum, alibi, retaliate, alimony, alp, proletariat, altruism, parallax, ulterior, coalesce, foetal, althea, aad, withal, 62 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós

old, elder, auld, eld, 13 more

through Latin altus ‘high’

altitude, alt, altar, alto, exalt, haughty, altimeter, haut, 12 more

Today it means

noun A thick or heavy-duty cable or rope used to tow or moor a ship.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “hawser”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin altus. 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 *h₂el- / hawser

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