English

Proper noun

Ross

1. An English and Scottish habitational surname​ derived from any of several places of that name, from Gaelic ros "headland".
2. A male given name, transferred use of the surname since early nineteenth century.
3. A town in California.
4. A city/village in North Dakota.
5. A census-designated place in Ohio.
6. A city/town in Texas.
7. A town in Wisconsin.
8. A small town on the West Coast of the South Island in New Zealand.

See also

• Ross Dependency
• Ross Island
• Ross Sea

German

Alternative forms

• Roß (dated)

Etymology

From Middle High German ros ‎(“horse”), from Old High German hros, ros ‎(“horse”), cognate with English horse, Old English hors ‎(“horse”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁɔs/

Noun

Ross n ‎(genitive Rosses, plural Rosse or Rösser, diminutive Rösschen n or Rösslein n)

1. (regional or poetic) horse
   • 1876

     ... Dort seh’ ich Grane, mein selig Roß: \ wie weidet er munter der mit mir schlief! \ Mit mir hat ihn Siegfried erweckt. — Richard Wagner, Siegfried, Dritter Aufzug, Dritte Szene.

     I see Grane there, my trusty steed: \ how happily he grazes, he who was asleep like me! \ Siegfried woke him along with me. — Richard Wagner, Siegfried, Act 3, Scene 3.

   • 1914

     Wir werden uns wehren bis zum letzten Hauch von Mann und Roß - His Majesty the Emperor of Germany Wilhelm II, An das Deutsche Volk

2. (regional, pejorative) stupid person, moron

Usage notes

• Ross is a normal word for “horse”, alongside Pferd, in many parts of southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In northern and central Germany, Ross is not part of the colloquial vocabulary and is perceived as poetic, archaic, or restricted to noble riding horses.
• The plurals Rosse and Rösser are equally acceptable and roughly equally common, though the former is traditionally preferred in written standard German.

Declension

Related terms

• Einhufer
• Gaul
• Klepper
• Pferd
• Reitpferd

Chess pieces in German · Schachfiguren, Schachsteine (layout · text)
König	Dame, Königin	Turm	Läufer	Springer, Pferd, Ross, Rössel	Bauer

Derived terms

• Walross (originally from North Germanic)

See also

• Roß, Roße

English

Noun

ross ‎(uncountable)

1. (US, dialect) The rough, scaly surface on the bark of trees.

Verb

ross ‎(third-person singular simple present rosses, present participle rossing, simple past and past participle rossed)

1. (US, dialect, transitive) To divest of the ross, or rough, scaly surface.

   to ross bark

Faroese

føroyskt ross - Faroese horse

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɹɔsː]

Etymology

From Old Norse hross, from Proto-Germanic *hursaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kers- ‎(“run”).

Noun

ross n (genitive singular ross, plural ross)

1. horse (Equus caballus)

Hyponyms

• hestur (stallion)
• ryssa (mare)

Declension

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic أَرُزّ ‎(ʾaruzz), from Ancient Greek ὄρυζα ‎(óruza).

Noun

ross m

1. rice