Hamster
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
From Middle High German hamster, from Old High German hamastra, hamustro, probably from Old East Slavic хомѣсторъ (xoměstorŭ), хомѣстаръ (xoměstarŭ). Further explained as a borrowing into Slavic from Iranian, compare Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬨𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬭- (hamaēstar-, “who throws down (in this case: corn stalks), oppresses”).[1][2] Alternatively, a compound of (1) хомѣкъ (xoměkŭ, “hamster”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *kāmjas[3] and of (2) Baltic *staras,[4][5] but this would require irregular compound formation (*хомѣкосторъ would be expected, unless perhaps the compound was based on a word whose diminutive was хомѣкъ) and an irregular Proto-Slavic *x from Proto-Balto-Slavic *k.
Pronunciation
Noun
Hamster m (strong, genitive Hamsters, plural Hamster)
Declension
Declension of Hamster [masculine, strong]
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- Wolfgang Pfeifer, editor (1993), “Hamster”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen (in German), 2nd edition, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN
- Fraenkel, Ernst (1955, 1962–1965) Litauisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume I, Heidelberg-Göttingen: Carl Winter and Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, page 212
- Wolfgang Pfeifer, ed., Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, s.v. “Hamster” (Munich: Deutscher Taschenbucher Vertrag, 2005).
- C.T. Onions, ed., Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, s.v. “hamster” (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1996), 425.
Further reading
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