Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. Any of several plant-eating animals of the family...

Ancestry of “hare”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishhareAlternative form of hire; Alternative form of...
2Old Englishhararabbit, hare
3Old Englishhārgray, gray-haired; grey-haired; hoar, hoary,...
4Proto-Germanichairazgrey; aged; old; lofty; distinguished
5Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱeh₃-darkness, shadow

Words derived from “hare”

  • harebrained
  • harelip
  • harelipped
  • harelike
  • harish
  • harehound
  • forhare
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱeh₃- →