English
dace
Dace comes from Old French dart ‘spear’, from Proto-Germanic *darō ‘injury’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerh₃- ‘to leap, spring’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰerh₃-‘to leap, spring’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰórh₃-eh₂reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*darō‘injury’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*darōþuz‘a light spear’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*darōþreconstructed
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500dardus‘spear’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400dart‘spear’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400darzoblique plural form of dart
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500darse
- Englishearliest quotation 1949dace
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰerh₃-‘to leap, spring’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰórh₃-eh₂reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*darō‘injury’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*darōþuz‘a light spear’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*darōþreconstructed
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500dardus‘spear’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400dart‘spear’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400darzoblique plural form of dart
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500darse
- Englishearliest quotation 1949dace
Earliest quotation: 1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four: “Somewhere near at hand, though out of sight, there…”
The story
For a similar loss of r, compare bass, while for the pronunciation with /eɪ/, see scarce.
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *darō ‘injury’
through Old French dart ‘spear’
Today it means
noun A shoal-forming fish of species Leuciscus leuciscus, common to swift rivers in England and Wales and in Europe.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰerh₃- / dace