Where does “arse” come from?
Arse comes from Middle English ers and ars, from Old English ærs, from Latin ars meaning skill or craft, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂er-.
arse (English): The buttocks or more specifically, the anus; A...
Definitions
- The buttocks or more specifically, the anus; A...
Ancestry of “arse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ars | arse, anus; bottom, buttocks; plural of art |
| 2 | Old French | arz | — |
| 3 | Latin | artes | second-person singular present active subjunctive... |
| 4 | Latin | ars | art; skill, craft, handicraft, trade, power |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | artis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂értis | fitting |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |