Where does “Old World porcupine” come from?
Old World porcupine (English) comes from English porcupine, from Middle English porke despyne, from Old French porc-espin, from Latin porcus, from Proto-Italic porkos, from Proto-Indo-European pórḱos, from Proto-Indo-European perḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European per- — passed , crossed.
Old World porcupine (English): Any of the large, spiny-furred rodents of the...
Definitions
- Any of the large, spiny-furred rodents of the...
Ancestry of “Old World porcupine”, step by step
Old World porcupine traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English porcupine
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | porcupine | Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic... |
| 2 | Middle English | porke despyne | — |
| 3 | Old French | porc-espin | — |
| 4 | Latin | porcus | a piglet, a young pig; a pig, hog; Short for... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | porkos | pig |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pórḱos | piglet |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | perḱ- | colored; motley; to open, rip up |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English Old World
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Old World | The Eastern Hemisphere, especially Europe, Africa and Asia |