An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Auer

by Friedrich Kluge

Auer, in Auerochs, m., from the equiv. MidHG. ûr, ûr-ochse, OHG. ûr, ûrohso, m., ‘aurochs’; corresponds to AS. ûr, OIc. úrr, (u- stem). The fact that even Roman writers knew the Teut. term under the form ûrus points to *ûrus (not ûzus) as the Goth. form; comp. Teut. and Lat. glêsum, ‘amber,’ similar to AS. glœ̂re, ‘resin.’ Hence the proposed explanation of ûr from Sans. usrá-s, m., ‘bull,’ must be put aside. Internal evidence cannot be adduced to show that the OGerm. word is non-Teut.; the assertion of Macrobius that ûrus is Kelt. proves nothing. —