Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/xoměstorъ

Uncertain:

• Borrowed from Old Iranian[1] or Scythian *hamaistar-[2], from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meyt- (“to throw”)[3]. Related to Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬨𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬭-‎ (hamaēstar-, “who throws down; enemy”). For the meaning, compare Shor ырлақ (yrlak, “hamster”) : ыр- (yr-, “to be hostile”)[4].
• From compound *xomě-storъ:
  • Per Berneker[5], *-storъ is related to Lithuanian stãras (“suslik”).
  • Per Brückner[6]: *xom- is onomatopoeic, *-storъ is unclear. Related to Polish skomleć (“to howl, yelp”), Church Slavonic скомати (skomati, “sigh, groan”)[7].
  • Per Sławski, ESSJa: **xomě (“couple bags”) +‎ *sterti (“to pour, sprinkle; to spread, extend, stretch out”) +‎ *-ъ, literally “who pours (grain) into (both) bags”. Related to *skomiti (“squeeze, clench”) and *prostorъ.
  • Per Chernykh[8]: if not borrowing, Old East Slavic хомѣкъ (xoměkŭ) is related to *ščemiti / *ščьmiti, *oskomina, *xomǫtъ, *komъ, Ancient Greek χαμαίστρωτος (khamaístrōtos, “stretched on the ground”).
  • Compare onomatopoeic hamster name: Serbo-Croatian hŕčak < *xъrčьkъ < *xъrčati, *xъrkati, Czech křeček, Old Czech křěč, Old Polish krzeczek, skrzeczek < *krečьkъ, *krečь < *krečati, *krekati.
  • Compare some hamster sounds[9][10][11].
  • Compare onomatopoeic *kem- name: *komarъ (“mosquito”), *čьmeľь (“bumblebee”).
  • See also *čęstъ : Lithuanian kim̃šti (“to stuff, fill”), *žęti, *skǫpъ.
• Per Ильинскій[12]: from **xoměstati +‎ *-orъ, from blend of **xomězati and *xomotati, from onomatopoeia. Related to Moravian chomtat (“eat greedily”), Russian ха́мкать (xámkatʹ, “to eat”).
• Per Мурьянов[13], Slavic and German are borrowed from Latin *chomestor, variant of comestor (“glutton”).

Notable hamster properties:

• Damaging plants (Russian враг (vrag)[14])[15][16][17][18]
• Stealing and hoarding (Russian обжора (obžora), воришка (voriška)[19], жадный (žadnyj); German hamstern (“to hoard”), Dutch hamsteren, Swedish hamstra, Polish chomikować, Czech křečkovat)[20][21][22]
• Capacious cheek pouches[23][24][25]
• Bellicose, pugnacious (Russian агрессивный (agressivnyj, “aggressive”)[26])[27][28][29]
• Nice appearance (Russian красивый (krasivyj), милый (milyj))
• Other: English German rat (“hamster”), Russian хомя́к (xomják, “hamster; rat; sluggish person”), хомячить (xomjačitʹ, “to crush, squeeze”).

*xoměstorъ m

1. hamster

   Synonym: *xъrčьkъ

• *xoměkъ (“hamster”) (diminutive)

• East Slavic:
  • Old East Slavic: хомѣсторъ (xoměstorŭ), хомѣстаръ (xoměstarŭ)
    • → Old Saxon: hamustra
    • → Old High German: hamastra, hamustro
      • Middle High German: hamster
        • German: Hamster
          • → Catalan: hàmster
          • → English: hamster, hampster
            • → Japanese: ハムスター (hamusutā)
            • → Korean: 햄스터 (haemseuteo)
            • → Tagalog: hamster
            • → Thai: แฮมสเตอร์ (hɛms-dtə̂ə)
            • → Turkish: hamster
          • → Danish: hamster
          • → Dutch: hamster
            • → Papiamentu: hamster
          • → French: hamster
          • → Luxembourgish: Hamster
          • → Norwegian Bokmål: hamster
          • → Norwegian Nynorsk: hamster
          • → Portuguese: hamster
          • → Romanian: hamster
          • → Swedish: hamster
• → Lithuanian: kãmas (“rat”), stãras (“suslik”) (possibly)
• → Latvian: kāmis (“hamster”) (possibly)

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1981), “*xoměstorъ”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages] (in Russian), issue 8 (*xa – *jьvьlga), Moscow: Nauka, page 67
• Рахилина, Е. В. (1998), “6. Семантическая доминанта глагола сидеть”, in Семантика русских "позиционных" предикатов: стоять, лежать, сидеть и висеть, issue 6, Москва: Наука, page 75