goose

English goose comes from Old English gōs, from Proto-West Germanic *gans, from Proto-Germanic *gans, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂éns.

The word has stayed remarkably close to its root sound and meaning as it passed from Old English gōs through Middle English gos into modern goose, always naming the same bird.

It's cognate with Dutch gans, German Gans, Latin ānser, and Sanskrit हंस (haṃsá), showing how widely this ancient bird-name spread across the Indo-European family. It's also the source of the tailor's iron called a 'goose,' named for the resemblance of its handle to the bird's neck.