*Austrǭ

Runic: ᚨᚢᛊᛏᚱᛟ Pronunciation: /ˈɑu̯s.trɔ̃ː/

proper noun · feminine · ōn-stem

Meanings

  1. Easter, festival celebrated at the spring equinox
  2. Easter, goddess of spring

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews-(s)-t-reh₂-n-, ultimately from *h₂ews-, and closely related to *austrą¹ and *austraz. EWA analyzes the *t as inherited rather than as an excrescent consonant from PIE *sr > Proto-Germanic *str, connecting *Austrǭ directly with the *h₂ews-(s)-to- formation (Lühr 2017: s.v. ôst(a)ra; Wodtko et al. 2008: 359). The ultimate root also formed the PIE word for ‘dawn’ and the Dawn Goddess, *h₂éws-ōs ~ *h₂us(-s)-és; this provides a plausible semantic background for Bede’s Ēostre, though her status as an inherited Germanic dawn goddess cannot be established from the linguistic evidence alone.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nom.Austrǭ–
Acc.Austrōnų–
Gen.Austrōniz–
Dat.Austrōni–
Inst.Austrōnē–
Voc.Austrǭ–

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Descendants

  • *Austrā (Proto-West Germanic)
    • āsteron (Old Frisian)
  • *Austrā (Proto-West Germanic)
    • ōstara (Old Dutch)
      • ôosteren (Middle Dutch)
  • *Austrā (Proto-West Germanic)
    • ēastre, ēastrun, ēastron, ēastru, ēoster, ēster, ēastor, ēastro (Old English)
      • Eestour, Ester, Yestre (Middle English)
        • Easter (English)
        • Easter (Scots)
  • *Austrā (Proto-West Germanic)
    • ōstra, ōstara, *Ôstra, *Ōstara, *Ōstora, *Aostar, *Aostr- (Old High German)
      • ōstre, ōstere, ōster (Middle High German)
        • Uustere (Central Franconian)
        • Ostern (German)
        • Ouschteren (Luxembourgish)
  • *Austrā (Proto-West Germanic)
    • *ōstara, *ōstarūn (Old Saxon)
      • ôsteren, ôstern (Middle Low German)
        • Oostern (Low German)
        • Oostren (Plautdietsch)

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