hair

hair · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic*hērą
2. Proto-West Germanic*hār
3. Old Englishhǣr
4. Middle Englishher
5. English todayhair

From Middle English her, heer, hær, from Old English hǣr, from Proto-West Germanic *hār, from Proto-Germanic *hērą (“hair”), from Proto-Indo-European *kes- (“to scrape, comb”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hier, Híer (“hair”), West Frisian hier (“hair”), Cimbrian haar, har (“hair”), Dutch haar (“hair”), German and Low German Haar (“hair”), Luxembourgish Hoer (“hair”), Mòcheno hor (“hair”), Yiddish האָר (hor, “hair”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish hår (“hair”), Faroese and Icelandic hár (“hair”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English cheveler, chevelere (“hair”), borrowed from Old French chevelëure (“hair, head-hair, coiffure, wig”). The modern spelling with ai is not a regular representation of the vowel developed from Middle English. Rather, it is from Middle English here (haircloth) influenced by Old French haire.

Hair · proper noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*harugaz
2. Old Irish · derived fromsír“long-lasting”
3. English todayHair

* As a Scottish Gaelic and Irish surname, from ó héir (“descendant of Ír”), a personal name related to Old Irish sír (“long-lasting”), similar to Hare, O'Hare, Haire. * As an English surname, from the noun hair. * As a Scottish surname, variant of Ayre, Ayer. * As a Dutch and German surname, Americanized from Haar, from haar (“sandy ridge”) (from Proto-Germanic *harugaz) and from the adjective Haar (“hair”).

Words from the same roots