Genéza prvého významu slova rasa: od koní k ľuďom

Abstract

The study focuses on the etymology and origin of the meaning of the term “race”, which was first used with a reference to a herd of horses with excellent (riding) characteristics and went on define human groups. Researchers examining the etymology of the word race have come up with three established hypotheses as to its origin: the “Arabic”, “Greek-Latin” and “French” hypotheses. Here, the focus is on the French hypothesis, since if the French hypothesis is applied, then the word “race” comes from the French haras, meaning “herd” (of horses) with “aristocratic”, “noble blood origin”. The original meaning of the term race referred to the quality of “blood” (“origin”) of a unique “herd” of horses or dogs. The term gradually began to be used for a “quality family” (caste) from a socially “noble” group of people (knights, bishops or king), who spoke of themselves in terms of aristocratic, noble, family origin, thus in the sense of a noble “bloodline”.