Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Echidna” come from?

Echidna (English) comes from Latin echidna, from Ancient Greek Ἔχιδνα, from Ancient Greek ἔχις, from Proto-Indo-European h₁égʰi-.

Ancestry of “Echidna”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinechidna—
2Ancient GreekἜχιδναEchidna
3Ancient Greekἔχιςsnake, adder, viper
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁égʰi-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁égʰi- →