English
horse
Horse comes from Old English hors, from Proto-Germanic *hrussą ‘horse’, of uncertain origin.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hrussą1‘horse’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hross1‘horse’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hors1‘horse’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hors1‘a horse’
- Englishearliest quotation 1755horse1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English horse
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1755, Samuel Johnson, Oats: “A grain, which in England is generally given to…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hrussąWiktionary, English horse‘horse’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hrossWiktionary, English horse‘horse’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150horsWiktionary, English horse‘horse’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500horsWiktionary, English horse‘a horse’
- Englishearliest quotation 1755horseWiktionary, English horse. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1755, Samuel Johnson, Oats: “A grain, which in England is generally given to…”
Word family
English words that share an ancestor with horse, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.
through Proto-Indo-European *wers- ‘to wipe’
through Middle English hors ‘a horse’
9 more relatives in the full family tree
No ads, ever.
Explore everything descended from *hrussą →
Another origin of horse
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500horsen
- Englishtodayhorse
No ads, ever. This is how the app stays alive.
Become a founding member, $29 onceWear this word, $32Support the app
Today it means
noun A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “horse”. 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 *hrussą / horse