Where does “Anguilla” come from?

Anguilla comes from Latin anguilla, a diminutive of Latin anguis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂éngʰis, all meaning snake or serpent.

Ancestry of “Anguilla”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinanguillaeel; small snake; vocative singular of anguilla
2Proto-Italic*anɣʷissnake
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éngʷʰissnake
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂éngʷʰis →Every word from Proto-Italic *anɣʷis →Every word from Latin anguilla →