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Ox

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means a castrated bull used for pulling loads

Where does the word "ox" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic uhsô, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

uhsô→oxa→ox

Proto-Germanic · ancient

cognate with Sanskrit 'ukṣan', bull

Old English · 700s-1000s

its plural 'oxan' is why we still say 'oxen'

English · 1500s

Oxford is 'the ford of the oxen'

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Ox’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: uhsô meant “ox.” Cognate with Sanskrit 'ukṣan', bull. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as oxa. Its plural 'oxan' is why we still say 'oxen'. It reached English by 1500s as ox. Oxford is 'the ford of the oxen'. Today, ox means a castrated bull used for pulling loads.