Where does “hare” come from?
Hare comes from Middle English hore, from Old English hǣr, from Proto-Indo-European kāro-, ultimately from the root (s)ker- meaning to cut or leap.
hare (English): Any of several plant-eating animals of the family...
Definitions
- Any of several plant-eating animals of the family...
Ancestry of “hare”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hare | Alternative form of hire; Alternative form of... |
| 2 | Old English | hara | rabbit, hare |
| 3 | Old English | hār | gray, gray-haired; grey-haired; hoar, hoary,... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hairaz | grey; aged; old; lofty; distinguished |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱeh₃- | darkness, shadow |