Where does “hussar” come from?

Hussar comes from French hussard, from Hungarian huszár, from Italian corsaro meaning "corsair" or "raider," ultimately from Latin cursus meaning "a running or course" with the agent suffix -arius, derived from Proto-Indo-European kers- meaning "to run."

hussar (English): A member of the national cavalry of Hungary,...

Definitions

  1. A member of the national cavalry of Hungary,...

Ancestry of “hussar”, step by step

hussar traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French hussard

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchhussardhussar
2GermanHusarhussar
3Hungarianhuszárhussar; knight
4Serbo-Croatiangusarpirate, corsair
5Italiancorsaroprivateering, pirate; a privateer, corsair
6Medieval Latincursariuspirate, sea-raider; pirate, sea-raider, corsair;...
7LatincursusThe act of running; race; Course, way, passage,...
8Latincurrōto run
9Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
11Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army

via Czech husar

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Czechhusarhussar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker-