| Old English | Modern English | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Hengest, Hengst | *Hench (see the note below) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈheŋɡest/, /ˈheŋɡst/ | /hɛntʃ/ |
| Etymology | From Proto-Germanic *hangistaz “horse, stallion”. Cognate with Old Frisian hengst, Old Saxon *hengist, Old Frankish *changisto, Old High German hengist, and Old Norse hestr. | |
| Note | A direct descendant of the Old English word does not exist, but it is found in the compound henchman, which literally means “horseman”. As this is highly irregular, I suppose that one might still say Hengest or Hengst with the modern pronunciation of /ˈhɛŋəst/ or /ˈhɛŋst/. This would be consistent with sound changes into Modern English. | |
| Old English | Modern English | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Hors | Horse |
| Pronunciation | /hors/ | /hɔː(ɹ)s/ |
| Etymology | From Proto-Germanic *hrussą “horse” < Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- “to run”. Cognate with Old Frisian hars/hers/hors/ros, Old Saxon hros(s) and ros, Old Frankish *(h)ros, Old High German (h)ros, and Old Norse hross. | |
| Note | His name appears as Horsa in extant texts and subsequently in mythological discussions. This is not, however, consistent with Old English and may, in my opinion, represent a transitional form in Anglo-Frisian, which was spoken around the time of his legendary deeds. Final-syllable /ɑ̃/ was lost at the end of this period, if it does, indeed, represent Proto-Germanic <ą>. | |