*ausô

Runic: ᚨᚢᛊᛟ Pronunciation: /ˈɑu̯.sɔːː/

noun · neuter · an-stem

Meanings

ear

Etymology

From the inherited Proto-Indo-European word for ‘ear’, probably an s-stem, though its exact paradigm is uncertain. Proposed reconstructions include *h₂éws-os ~ h₂éws-es- and *h₂éws-s ~ h₂us-és-; an older root noun has also been proposed, but this requires an otherwise unattested neuter type, and a three-grade paradigm *h₂ews- ~ *h₂ows- ~ h₂us- cannot be securely demonstrated (Lühr 2017: s.v. ôra). Proto-Germanic remodeled the word as a neuter n-stem *ausan- ~ auzan-, with *s ~ *z reflecting Verner’s Law in an originally mobile paradigm, approximately *áus-un : auz-én-ez (Lühr 2017: s.v. ôra; Ringe 2017: 308). The nasal may represent an inherited singulative formation associated with paired body parts (Pronk 2015: 331, 340–41), though Lühr alternatively allows a simple n-extension or metanalysis of a locative in -en. The old dual was important in the subsequent remodeling of the word in some branches (Cerri 2024: 41; Hock et al. 2020: 72–73, s.v. ausìs). Cognate with Ancient Greek οὖς (oûs), Latin auris, Old Armenian ունկն (unkn), Lithuanian ausi̇̀s, Old Prussian ausins, and Proto-Celtic awsos- (Mallory & Adams 1997: s.v. EAR). No secure underlying verbal root can be identified; the older derivation from root *h₂ew- is doubtful (Lühr 2017: s.v. ôra).

Declension

Case	Singular	Plural
Nom.	ausô	ausōnō
Acc.	ausô	ausōnō
Gen.	ausiniz	ausanǫ̂
Dat.	ausini	ausammaz
Inst.	ausinē	ausammiz
Voc.	ausô	ausōnō

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Descendants

*auʀā (Proto-West Germanic)
- ōra (Old Dutch)
  - ôre (Middle Dutch)
    - oear (Limburgish)
*auʀā (Proto-West Germanic)
- ōra (Old Dutch)
  - ôre (Middle Dutch)
    - oor (Dutch)
      - oor (Afrikaans)
*auʀā (Proto-West Germanic)
- ēare (Old English)
  - ere, eare, eere, eyr, ȝhere, here, ire, yere (Middle English)
    - ear (Scots)
*auʀā (Proto-West Germanic)
- āre (Old Frisian)
  - ? (North Frisian)
  - Oor (Saterland Frisian)
  - ear (West Frisian)
*auʀā (Proto-West Germanic)
- ōra (Old High German)
  - ore (Middle High German)
    - Oor (Alemannic German)
    - Oar (Bavarian)
    - Ohr (German)
    - אויער (oyer) (Yiddish)
*auʀā (Proto-West Germanic)
- ōra (Old High German)
  - ore (Middle High German)
    - Uhr, Ohr (Central Franconian)
      - Ouer (Luxembourgish)
*auʀā (Proto-West Germanic)
- ōra (Old Saxon)
  - ôre (Middle Low German)
    - Ohr (Low German)
      - oor (Dutch Low Saxon)
      - Ohr, Åhr, Ahr, Or, Ur (Low German)
eyra (Old Norse)
- oyra (Faroese)
- eyra (Icelandic)
- øyra, øyre, øra, øre (Norwegian Nynorsk)
eyra (Old Norse)
- ø̄ræ (Old Danish)
  - øre (Danish)
    - øre (Norwegian Bokmål)
eyra (Old Norse)
- ø̄ra (Old Swedish)
  - öra, ör (Swedish)
𐌰𐌿𐍃𐍉 (ausō) (Gothic)

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