An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Färse

by Friedrich Kluge

Färse, feminine (unknown to Upper German), ‘heifer,’ from Middle High German (Middle German and Low German) vęrse, feminine; compare Dutch vaars, ‘heifer’ (likewise vaarkoe, ‘heifer’); in Gothic probably *farsi, genitive farsjôs; English heifer, from the equivalent Anglo-Saxon heáhfore, heáfre, feminine, seems to contain Farre, Färse, in the final syllable. The stem farz, fars, does not recur exactly in the cognate languages, yet Greek πόρις, πόρτις, ‘calf, heifer,’ agree with it in sound; likewise Sanscrit pṛšatî, ‘white-spotted cow’ (feminine of prat, ‘speckled, spotted’)?. Färse, see under Farre.