ox
An adult castrated bull used as a draft animal, or more broadly any bovine.
PIE *h₂uḱs-
Etymology
From Old English oxa, from Proto-Germanic *uhsô. This traces to PIE *h₂uḱs-, related to "ox, bull." The ox was central to Indo-European agriculture and ritual, and cognates appear across nearly all branches.
The Journey: *h₂uḱs- → ox
PIE~4500 BCE
*h₂uḱs-
Proto-Germanic~500 BCE
*uhsô
Old English~500 CE
oxa
Modern English~1500 CE
ox
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *h₂uḱs-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | (none direct) |
| Latin | (none direct) |
| Welsh | ych |
| Sanskrit | ukṣán- |
| Old Irish | oss (stag) |
| Tocharian B | okso |
Did You Know?
The plural "oxen" preserves an ancient Germanic weak noun ending (-en), one of very few surviving in Modern English alongside "children" and "brethren."