Etymograph

English

Ursula

Ursula comes from Latin ursa ‘she-bear’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂ŕ̥tḱos.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ŕ̥tḱos‘bear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*orsosreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEursus‘a bear’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEursa‘she-bear’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEUrsula
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1857same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ŕ̥tḱos‘bear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*orsosreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEursus‘a bear’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEursa‘she-bear’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEUrsula
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1857same form

Earliest quotation: 1857, Dinah Craik, John Halifax: “Is her name Ursula?" And I called to mind…”

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ŕ̥tḱos

Today it means

name A female given name from Latin.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ŕ̥tḱos / Ursula

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