Etymology of hair

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 ↗

verb

To remove the hair from. · To grow hair (where there was a bald spot). · To cause to have or bear hair; to provide with hair · To string the bow for a violin.

noun

A pigmented filament of keratin which grows from a follicle on the skin of humans and other mammals. · The collection or mass of such growths growing from the skin of humans and animals, and forming a covering for any part or the whole body. · Specifically, the collection of hairs on the top and sides of the human head, growing from the scalp. · A slender outgrowth from the chitinous cuticle of insects, spiders, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. Such hairs are totally unlike those of vertebrates in structure, composition, and mode of growth.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *hērą Proto-West Germanic *hār Old English hǣr Middle English her English hair 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.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionherenm
Inherited-form mentionhǣrang
Inherited-form mention*hārgmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*hērągem-pro · hair
Derivation mention*kes-ine-pro · to scrape, comb
Cognate mentionHierstq
Cognate mentionhierfy
Cognate mentionhaarcim
Cognate mentionhaarnl
Cognate mentionHaarnds
Cognate mentionHoerlb
Cognate mentionhormhn
Cognate mentionהאָרyi
Inherited-form mentionhereenm

This page abbreviates 5 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:her",
        "tree": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Germanic *hērą\nProto-West Germanic *hār\nOld English hǣr\nMiddle English her\nEnglish hair\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*hār\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"hǣr\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"her\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"hair\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"hair\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "her"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English her"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hǣr"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hǣr"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hār"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hār"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hērą",
        "t": "hair"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hērą (“hair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*kes-",
        "t": "to scrape, comb"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *kes- (“to scrape, comb”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Hier"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Hier"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "hier",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hair"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian hier (“hair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cim",
        "2": "haar"
      },
      "expansion": "Cimbrian haar"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "haar",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hair"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch haar (“hair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "German"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "Haar",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hair"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German Haar (“hair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lb",
        "2": "Hoer",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hair"
      },
      "expansion": "Luxembourgish Hoer (“hair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "mhn",
        "2": "hor",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hair"
      },
      "expansion": "Mòcheno hor (“hair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yi",
        "2": "האָר",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hair"
      },
      "expansion": "Yiddish האָר (hor, “hair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da,nb,nn,sv",
        "2": "hår",
        "t": "hair"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish hår (“hair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo,is",
        "2": "hár",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hair"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese and Icelandic hár (“hair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "cheveler"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English cheveler"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fro",
        "2": "chevelëure",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hair, head-hair, coiffure, wig"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French chevelëure (“hair, head-hair, coiffure, wig”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "here"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English here"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fro",
        "2": "haire"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French haire"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:her",
        "tree": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Germanic *hērą\nProto-West Germanic *hār\nOld English hǣr\nMiddle English her\nEnglish hair"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*hērą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hērą"
    ],
    [
      "*hār",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hār"
    ],
    [
      "hǣr",
      "hær#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "her",
      "her#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "her",
      "her#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "heer",
      "heer#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hær",
      "hær#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hǣr",
      "hær#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hār",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hār"
    ],
    [
      "*hērą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hērą"
    ],
    [
      "*kes-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/kes-"
    ],
    [
      "Hier",
      "Hier#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "Híer",
      "Híer#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "hier",
      "hier#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "haar",
      "haar#Cimbrian"
    ],
    [
      "har",
      "har#Cimbrian"
    ],
    [
      "haar",
      "haar#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Haar",
      "Haar#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "Hoer",
      "Hoer#Luxembourgish"
    ],
    [
      "hor",
      "hor#Mòcheno"
    ],
    [
      "האָר",
      "האָר#Yiddish"
    ],
    [
      "Danish",
      "hår#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "hår#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "hår#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "hår",
      "hår#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "Faroese",
      "hár#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "hár",
      "hár#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "cheveler",
      "cheveler#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "chevelere",
      "chevelere#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "chevelëure",
      "chevelëure#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "here",
      "here#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "haire",
      "haire#Old_French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To remove the hair from.",
        "To grow hair (where there was a bald spot).",
        "To cause to have or bear hair; to provide with hair",
        "To string the bow for a violin."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "singular",
        "transitive",
        "usually",
        "intransitive"
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    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A pigmented filament of keratin which grows from a follicle on the skin of humans and other mammals.",
        "The collection or mass of such growths growing from the skin of humans and animals, and forming a covering for any part or the whole body.",
        "Specifically, the collection of hairs on the top and sides of the human head, growing from the scalp.",
        "A slender outgrowth from the chitinous cuticle of insects, spiders, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. Such hairs are totally unlike those of vertebrates in structure, composition, and mode of growth."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "singular",
        "usually",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "9eab03f25fb55f2faf21c2fda740e60f8985d93bbcf32d20ba982eb4e0e18c82",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 24787
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 5,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

The source etymologies

Unnumbered source etymology

Relationships mentioned by the source

Where this record stops

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