Uncertain; possibilities include: * From Italian corsaro (“corsair”), from Medieval Latin cursarius (“pirate”), from Latin cursus (“running”), from currō (“run”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”). Cognate with English corsair. * Borrowed from Byzantine Greek χωσάριος, χονσάριος (khōsários, khonsários). Doublet of ху̏са̄р.