Several proposals have been made for the etymology and meaning of the original name Wsjr. Griffiths (1980) proposed a derivation from wser signifying "the powerful". Moreover, one of the oldest attestations of the god Osiris appears in the mastaba of the deceased Netjer-wser (God Almighty).
Lorton (1985) proposed that Wsjr is composed by the morphemes set-jret signifying "ritual activity", Osiris being the one who receives it. Westendorf (1987) proposed an etymology from Waset-jret "she who bears the eye".
