Where does “Cenozoic” come from?
Cenozoic derives from Ancient Greek καινός and ζῷον, combined to mean "new life," tracing back through Proto-Indo-European kn̥-yós, ken-, gʷyeh₃w-y-om, gʷeyh₃-, and gʷih₃wós.
Cenozoic (English): Of or pertaining to the Cenozoic era
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to the Cenozoic era
Ancestry of “Cenozoic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -zoic | Relating to some specified form of animal... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ζωϊκός | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ζῷον | animal, beast; form, image |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | ďṓyyon | animal, creature, beast |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | gʷyōwyon | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷyeh₃w-y-om | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷíh₃weti | to live, to be alive |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |
Words derived from “Cenozoic”