Auerhuhn

German

Etymology

From Middle High German ûr-han, from Old High German ūr-huon (variant of orre-huon), from Proto-West Germanic *ūrʀahōn, from a compound of the Proto-Germanic elements *urzô (“black grouse ~ capercaillie”) +‎ *hōną (“hen”) (see Huhn), literally "grouse-hen", referring to the bird's call. The first element, which is cognate with Swedish orre and Faroese orri, is possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wérsō (“virile, male; male livestock animal, bull calf”). Cognate with German Low German Urhane and Dutch woerhaan (< *worʀahanō).

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Noun

Auerhuhn n (strong, genitive Auerhuhnes or Auerhuhns, plural Auerhühner)

  1. capercaillie, wood grouse (Tetrao urogallus)

Declension

Declension of Auerhuhn [neuter, strong]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein das Auerhuhn die Auerhühner
genitive eines des Auerhuhnes, Auerhuhns der Auerhühner
dative einem dem Auerhuhn, Auerhuhne1 den Auerhühnern
accusative ein das Auerhuhn die Auerhühner

1Now rare, see notes.

Descendants

  • → Dutch: auerhoen

Further reading

  • “Auerhuhn” in Duden online
  • Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*urzan-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 561
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