English
ear
Ear comes from Middle English eare, from Old English ēare, from Proto-Germanic *ausô, from PIE *h₂ṓws ‘ear’, from *h₂ew- ‘to perceive’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-‘to perceive’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ṓwsreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ausôreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*auʀāreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ēare
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eare
- Englishearliest quotation 1599ear
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-‘to perceive’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ṓwsreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ausôreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*auʀāreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ēare
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eare
- Englishearliest quotation 1599ear
Earliest quotation: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to perceive’
love, audience, egg, aviation, audit, oval, obey, avid, audible, anesthesia, ey, ovation, avian, acoustics, auspicious, aviator, acoustical, avarice, ocarina, aviary, 64 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws
Another origin of ear
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éḱos‘sharpness’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ahaz‘ear (of grain)’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ahaʀ‘ear (of grain)’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ēar‘ear (of grain)’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500er
- Englishtodayear
Today it means
noun The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna or auricle, auditory canal, eardrum, malleus, incus, stapes and cochlea.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- / ear