English
prusten
Prusten comes from German prusten ‘to sneeze, to snort’.
- Germanc. 1650–presentprusten‘to sneeze, to snort’
- Englishearliest quotation 2001prusten
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Germanc. 1650–presentprusten‘to sneeze, to snort’
- Englishearliest quotation 2001prusten
Earliest quotation: 2001, Yann Martel, Canongate: “He made a sound, a snort from his nostrils.…”
Every English word from German prusten
Today it means
noun A sound made by tigers and snow leopards without the intent to threaten, producing a breathy snort by blowing through the nostrils whilst the mouth is closed — a low-frequency equivalent of the purring found in domestic cats.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / German prusten / prusten