Uroch
/ˈjʊərɒk/noun
An aurochs, the extinct wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle.
Did you know?The uroch was not merely legendary: aurochs survived in Europe until the last known individual died in Poland in 1627, making it a real animal behind many ancient bull myths.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*urōks
“A wild ox or powerful bovine; the reconstructed ancestral form behind later European names.”
Ancient Latin
Latin
ūrus
“A wild ox, especially the enormous European cattle later called the aurochs.”
Old High German
Old High German
ūrohso
“Wild ox; literally a wild or primeval ox.”
Middle High German
Middle High German
ūr-ohse
“Aurochs or wild ox, preserving the compound structure.”
16th Century
English
urochs
“A name borrowed from Germanic forms for the extinct or vanishing wild ox.”
Modern English
English
uroch
“A variant spelling of aurochs, referring to the extinct ancestor of domestic cattle.”