Cognate Set 9647 – Meaning: hair

IE-CoR reference form:
*hēra-
IE-CoR reference language:
Proto-Germanic
Ideophonic:
no
Parallel derivation:
no
Proposed as cognate to:
*kes- [Proto-Indo-European] scale: 0
Justification:
Lexemes continuing Proto-Germanic *hēra- 'hair'. Further etymology disputed, either (1) with Lithuanian šerỹs 'bristle' < *k̑er(H)- (Kluge 2011:382, cf. Derksen 2015:443), or (2) from PIE *k̑es- 'to arrange in order; comb' (Kroonen 2013:220; if so, cf. lexemes continuing Proto-Slavic *kosa 'hair, braided hair' in cognate set 8240). A third option considered by EWNl II:360 is the possibility of a European substratum loanword.
Found in clades:
Germanic
Revised by:
Matthew Scarborough
Found in 1 clade by 20 lexemes.
Language Lexeme Native script Phonetic Phonemic Notes
110   Danish hår ˈhɒˀ
116   Dutch haar har
112   English hair hɛː
104   Faroese hár hɔaːɹ
117   Flemish hair, haer
114   Frisian hier hi.ər
122   German Haare ˈhaːɐ ˈhaːʁ In everyday conversation the plural 'Haare' is more common than the collective 'Haar'.
103   Icelandic hár hauːr
105   Norwegian: Bokmål hår hoːɾ hoːr
109   Swedish hår hoːr
121   Luxembourgish Hoer ˈhoːɑ ˈhoːɑ no difference between collective, plural or singular
107   Elfdalian år ɔːr ɔːr
108   Old Swedish har hɑːr hɑːr
123   German: Bernese Haar haːr haːr
113   Old Frisian hēr hɛːr hɛːr
120   Middle High German hâr haːr haːr
115   Middle Dutch haer haːr haːr
102   Old Icelandic hár haːr haːr
106   Norwegian: Nynorsk hår hoːχ hoːʁ
111   Old English hǣr hæːr hæːr
References
  • Kluge, Friedrich: 382
    S.v. NHG Haar (MHG hār, OHG hār, OS hār), from Gmc. *hǣra- 'Haar' also in ON hár, OE hǣr, hēr (in Gothic instead tagl, cf. Zagel). The closest thing that may be compared is an original s-stem, cf. Lith. šerỹs 'Borste, (Tier-)haar', Lith. širỹs 'Haar' (IE *k̑er-, *k̑r̥-); with an s extension (reflex of an s-stem?) Ru. šerštь 'Wolle', further origin unclear.
  • Kroonen, Guus: 220
    S.v. Proto-Germanic *hēra- 'hair', from PIE *k̑ē̆s-ró- (cf. Hitt. kišzi ~ kišanzi 'to comb, card' < *kes-ti, *ks-énti; OCS česati 'to scratch, pluck' < *kes-eh₂-, etc.).
  • van der Sijs and Debrabandere, Nicoline; and Philippa, Frans; and Quak, Marlies; and Arend: II:360
    S.v. Du. haar 2 zn. ‘draadvormige huidbedekking bij mensen en dieren’; Further etymology unclear. Traditionally related to Lithuanian šerys 'animal hair'; Old Russian sĭrstĭ 'hair, wool' (Russian šerst' 'wool'); < PIE *ker(s) 'spine, hair of plants' (IEW 583). Another possibility is that PGmc. *hēra- with grammatical change and rhotacism going back to PIE *kēsó-, from the root * kes- 'combing', which also includes: OCS kosa 'haar', česati 'combing'; Lithuanian kasà 'braid'; Hittitisch kis-zi 'he combs'. Maybe Old Irish cír 'comb, rake' is also related < PIE * ḱēs-. Partly because of the field of meaning and the limited geographical spread, this is possibly a pre-Indo-European substrate word.