köken: Learned borrowing from Latin bisōn, bisōnt-, at first also in forms with -t such as Bisont. Perhaps reinforced by French bison of the same source. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *wisundaz and thus a doublet of Wisent.
bison (European bison), wisent · diehard, ace, pro · reactionary (comparison of supporters of a return to the old order with obsolete forms of life, i.e. endangered bison)
köken: Borrowed from German Wisent in the 19th century. The native word, Middle Dutch wesende, from Old Dutch *wisent (in the placename Wisenthurst) had by then long been obsolete due to the medieval extinction of the species in Western Europe. Breeding programmes and the establishment of several viable herds in the Netherlands has since the early 21st century rendered the word familiar to a broader…
köken: Borrowed from German Bison, from French bison, from Old French bison, from Latin bisōn, bisōnt-, from Proto-Germanic *wisundaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wisAn-, from Proto-Indo-European *weys-. First attested in 1861.
köken: Borrowed from English bison, from Old French bison, from Latin bisōn, bisōnt- (“wild ox”), from Proto-Germanic *wisundaz (“wild ox, aurochs”), from Proto-Indo-European *wisAn- (“aurochs, aurochs horn”), from Proto-Indo-European *weys- (“to flow, melt”).
köken: Borrowed from French bison, from Old French bison, from Latin bisōn, bisōnt- (“wild ox”), from Proto-Germanic *wisundaz (“wild ox, aurochs”), from Proto-Indo-European *wisAn- (“aurochs, aurochs horn”), from Proto-Indo-European *weys- (“to flow, melt”).
köken: 1st century; together with Ancient Greek βίσων (bísōn) (2nd century; cf. modern Greek βίσονας (vísonas)) borrowed from Proto-Germanic *wisundaz (“bison, wisent”).
köken: From English bison, from Middle English bisontes (plural), from Old French bison, from Latin bisōn, bisōnt- (“wild ox”), from Proto-Germanic *wisundaz (“wild ox, aurochs”), from Proto-Indo-European *wisAn- (“aurochs, aurochs horn”), from Proto-Indo-European *weys- (“to flow, melt”).
köken: Cognate with Latvian sum̃brs (“bison”), Old Prussian wissambs/wissambris, Proto-Slavic *zǫbrъ (“wisent”). The Prussian form may be contaminated by Germanic and/or Slavic. According to Derksen, a connection with Proto-Balto-Slavic *źámbas (“tooth”) is possible. The word could also be a migratory term, see Ossetian домбай (dombaj, “bison”) for more.