An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Hase

by Friedrich Kluge

Hase, m., ‘hare,’ from MidHG. hase, OHG. haso, m.; a common Teut. term for ‘hare’; comp. Du. haas, AS. hara (with change of s into r), E. hare, OIc. here, m.; Goth. *hasa (OHG. haso) or *haza (AS. hara), is by chance not recorded. To the pre-Teut. kasa(n), Ind. çaçá (instead of çasá, just as çváçuras for *sváçuras, comp. Schwäher), ‘hare,’ corresponds; the word also occurs in a remarkable manner only once again in OPruss. (as sasins for szasinas). The primit. word kasa-, ‘hare,’ may be connected with AS. hasu, ‘grey.’ From Teut. is derived Fr. hase, f., ‘doe-hare.’ — The term Hasenscharte, ‘hare-lip,’ is not recorded in G. until the 14th cent., but it already exists in AS. as hœrsceard (in E. hare-lip); comp. further the OIc. nickname Skarðe, also OFris. has-skerde, ‘hare-lipped.’