Where does “warhorse” come from?

Warhorse comes from Middle English war and horse, with horse deriving from Old English hors, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.

warhorse (English): Any horse used in horse-cavalry, but especially...

Definitions

  1. Any horse used in horse-cavalry, but especially...

Ancestry of “warhorse”, step by step

warhorse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English War

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWarPreceded by [[the#Article
2Middle EnglishwerreWar in general; the practice of fighting between...
3Old Norseverricomparative degree of illr, worse; worse
4Proto-Germanicwirsizôcomparative degree of *ubilaz; worse
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwers-to wipe; peak, height
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

via English HORSE

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHORSEA poker variant consisting of five different...
2Middle EnglishhorseAlternative form of hors; Alternative form of...
3Old Englishhorshorse
4Proto-West Germanichrosshorse
5Proto-Germanichrussąhorse
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱers-to run
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wers- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wirsizô →