English word origin

Etymology of arse

From Middle English ars, ers, from Old English ærs, ears, from Proto-West Germanic *ars, from Proto-Germanic *arsaz (compare Dutch aars and German Arsch), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁órsos (“backside, buttocks”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

intj

An expression of frustration.

verb

To be silly, act stupid or mess around.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionarsenm
Inherited-form mentionærsang
Inherited-form mention*arsgmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*arsazgem-pro
Cognate mentionaarsnl
Cognate mentionArschde
Inherited-form mention*h₁órsosine-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ars"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ars"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ærs"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ærs"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*ars"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *ars"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*arsaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *arsaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "aars"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch aars"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Arsch"
      },
      "expansion": "German Arsch"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₁órsos",
        "4": "",
        "5": "backside, buttocks"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₁órsos (“backside, buttocks”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ars",
      "ars#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ers",
      "ers#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ærs",
      "ærs#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ears",
      "ears#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*ars",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/ars"
    ],
    [
      "*arsaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/arsaz"
    ],
    [
      "aars",
      "aars#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Arsch",
      "Arsch#German"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁órsos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁órsos"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "An expression of frustration."
      ],
      "tags": [
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        "vulgar"
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      "pos": "verb",
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        "To be silly, act stupid or mess around."
      ],
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        "intransitive",
        "slang",
        "vulgar"
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Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A person's buttocks; the bottom, the backside. Also: the anus; the rectum. · A stupid, pompous, arrogant, mean or despicable person. · Used in similes to express something bad or unpleasant. · A person; the self; (reflexively) oneself or one's person, chiefly their body; (by extension) one's personal safety, or figuratively one's job, prospects, etc.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionarsenm
Inherited-form mentionærsang
Inherited-form mention*arsgmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*arsazgem-pro
Cognate mentionaarsnl
Cognate mentionArschde
Inherited-form mention*h₁órsosine-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ars"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ars"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ærs"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ærs"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*ars"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *ars"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*arsaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *arsaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "aars"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch aars"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Arsch"
      },
      "expansion": "German Arsch"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₁órsos",
        "4": "",
        "5": "backside, buttocks"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₁órsos (“backside, buttocks”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ars",
      "ars#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ers",
      "ers#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ærs",
      "ærs#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ears",
      "ears#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*ars",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/ars"
    ],
    [
      "*arsaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/arsaz"
    ],
    [
      "aars",
      "aars#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Arsch",
      "Arsch#German"
    ],
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      "*h₁órsos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁órsos"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Sranan Tongo",
      "lang_code": "srn",
      "word": "lasi"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A person's buttocks; the bottom, the backside. Also: the anus; the rectum.",
        "A stupid, pompous, arrogant, mean or despicable person.",
        "Used in similes to express something bad or unpleasant.",
        "A person; the self; (reflexively) oneself or one's person, chiefly their body; (by extension) one's personal safety, or figuratively one's job, prospects, etc."
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for arse →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YXJzZQ