Where does “race” come from?

race (Middle English) comes from Old Norse rás, from Proto-Germanic rēsō, from Proto-Indo-European reh₁s- — to flow, rush.

Ancestry of “race”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norserásrace, running; course, channel; company, host
2Proto-Germanicrēsōa running; a course; a rush
3Proto-Indo-Europeanreh₁s-to flow, rush

Words derived from “race”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European reh₁s- →Every word from Proto-Germanic rēsō →Every word from Old Norse rás →