Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Chamaeleon” come from?

Chamaeleon (English) comes from Latin chamaeleon, from Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων, from Ancient Greek χαμαί, from Ancient Greek Χθών, from Proto-Indo-European dʰéǵʰōm, from Proto-Indo-European -ōm, from Proto-Indo-European -mi.

Ancestry of “Chamaeleon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinchamaeleonchameleon; carline thistle
2Ancient Greekχαμαιλέωνchameleon; type of plant, so called because of...
3Ancient Greekχαμαίon the earth, near the ground; to the...
4Ancient GreekΧθών—
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰéǵʰōmearth
6Proto-Indo-European-ōm—
7Proto-Indo-European-mi—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mi →