Hoarse
/hɔːrs/noun
Having a rough, harsh, or weak voice, usually from illness, strain, or shouting.
Did you know?Hoarse comes from an old Germanic word family tied to roughness and harshness, which is why it sounds like it *feels* — all scraped, strained, and broken at the edges.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kers-
“to be rough, bristly, or shaggy”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hursaz
“rough, harsh”
Old English
OE
hors
“hoarse, rough in voice”
Middle English
ME
hors
“hoarse; rough-sounding”
Modern English
English
hoarse
“having a rough, harsh, or weak voice”