Etymograph

English

hoarse

Hoarse comes from Middle English hors, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *haisaz.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*haisaz1reconstructed
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150hās1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hors1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1943hoarse1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English hoarse
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1943, – 1944 February, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair]: “I am old and my voice is hoarse […]”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*haisazWiktionary, English hoarsereconstructed
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150hāsWiktionary, English hoarse
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500horsWiktionary, English hoarse
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1943hoarseWiktionary, English hoarse. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1943, – 1944 February, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair]: “I am old and my voice is hoarse […]”

Linked words

through Middle English hors

horse

Today it means

adj Having a dry, harsh tone to the voice, as a result of a sore throat, age, emotion, etc.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “hoarse”. 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-Germanic *haisaz / hoarse

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