*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of hoss

A dialectal pronunciation of horse; see also 'oss in English dialects with h-dropping.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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

Original entry ↗
noun

Pronunciation spelling of horse. · A big, strong and respected or dependable person, usually a man; one who is large like a horse. · Term of address for a man. · A car.

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

A dialectal pronunciation of horse; see also 'oss in English dialects with h-dropping.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Root classification mention*ḱers-ine-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*ḱers-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "horse",
      "horse#English"
    ],
    [
      "'oss",
      "'oss#English"
    ],
    [
      "h-dropping",
      "h-dropping"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Pronunciation spelling of horse.",
        "A big, strong and respected or dependable person, usually a man; one who is large like a horse.",
        "Term of address for a man.",
        "A car."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Southern-US",
        "alt-of",
        "countable",
        "pronunciation-spelling",
        "slang",
        "uncountable",
        "capitalized",
        "often",
        "Northwestern",
        "US"
      ],
      "recordId": "5c7e74e6cdcdd86b4a29844f0ddcb05412cf6497218790db756c5313d709605f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "90748aac34be2dd657a4b2947a198ba6877c142a4c02314b2ed9ab27038bcf02",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 841376
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 hoss →

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-aG9zcw