*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of udder

From Middle English udder, uddyr (also as uther, iddyr), from Old English ūder (“udder; breast”), from Proto-Germanic *ūdarą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ówHdʰr̥ (“udder”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Jadder (“udder”)

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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

An organ formed of the mammary glands of female quadruped mammals, particularly ruminants such as cattle, goats, sheep and deer. · A woman's breast.

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

From Middle English udder, uddyr (also as uther, iddyr), from Old English ūder (“udder; breast”), from Proto-Germanic *ūdarą, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ówHdʰr̥ (“udder”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Jadder (“udder”), Dutch uier (“udder”), German Euter (“udder”), Swedish juver (“udder”), Icelandic júgur (“udder”), Vedic Sanskrit ऊधर् (ū́dhar), Ancient Greek οὖθαρ (oûthar), Latin ūber.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

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": "udder"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English udder"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ūder",
        "4": "",
        "5": "udder; breast"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ūder (“udder; breast”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*ūdarą"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *ūdarą"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
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        "2": "ine-pro",
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        "5": "udder"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *h₁ówHdʰr̥ (“udder”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Jadder",
        "3": "",
        "4": "udder"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Jadder (“udder”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "uier",
        "3": "",
        "4": "udder"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch uier (“udder”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Euter",
        "3": "",
        "4": "udder"
      },
      "expansion": "German Euter (“udder”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "juver",
        "3": "",
        "4": "udder"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish juver (“udder”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "júgur",
        "3": "",
        "4": "udder"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic júgur (“udder”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sa-ved",
        "2": "ऊधर्",
        "tr": "ū́dhar"
      },
      "expansion": "Vedic Sanskrit ऊधर् (ū́dhar)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "οὖθαρ"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek οὖθαρ (oûthar)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "ūber"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin ūber"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "udder",
      "udder#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "uddyr",
      "uddyr#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "uther",
      "uther#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "iddyr",
      "iddyr#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ūder",
      "uder#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*ūdarą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ūdarą"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁ówHdʰr̥",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁ówHdʰr̥"
    ],
    [
      "Jadder",
      "Jadder#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "uier",
      "uier#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Euter",
      "Euter#German"
    ],
    [
      "juver",
      "juver#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "júgur",
      "júgur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "ऊधर्",
      "ऊधर्#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "οὖθαρ",
      "οὖθαρ#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "ūber",
      "uber#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An organ formed of the mammary glands of female quadruped mammals, particularly ruminants such as cattle, goats, sheep and deer.",
        "A woman's breast."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "impolite",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "a1b7ccfb4ea4d8890bf6c423822d385310988770a9f5a683ec90b28888ad61bb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f9d9548c11cb516f754f1d1da90bfc285db1b1d3cb59636f0fc8e4c2dddce456",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 92970
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "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 udder →

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-dWRkZXI