horse
A large domesticated equine used for riding and transport.
Etymology
English "horse" comes from Old English hors, from Proto-Germanic *hrussą — of uncertain and debated PIE origin. It does NOT descend from PIE *h₁éḱwos "horse" (which gives Latin equus → "equine," "equestrian"). The PIE root *h₁éḱwos is reconstructed as meaning "the swift one," but the Germanic word for this animal was replaced by the mysterious *hrussą.
The Journey: (uncertain) → horse
*h₁éḱwos
equus
equin
equine
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root (uncertain). They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | híppos |
| Latin | equus |
| Sanskrit | áśva |
| Old Irish | ech |
| Lithuanian | ašvà |
| Tocharian B | yakwe |
| Mycenaean Greek | i-qo |
Did You Know?
The English word "horse" replaced the original PIE-derived word in Germanic. But PIE *h₁éḱwos lives on in "equine" and "equestrian" (via Latin), and even in the name Philip — from Greek phílos + híppos, "lover of horses."