Where does “antelope” come from?
Antelope comes from Middle English antelope, from Old French antelop, ultimately derived from Ancient Greek elements including the prefix ἀν- and roots tracing to Proto-Indo-European ne and sem-.
antelope (English): Any of several African mammals of the family...
Definitions
- Any of several African mammals of the family...
Ancestry of “antelope”, step by step
antelope traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English antelope
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | antelope | antelope; heraldic antelope |
| 2 | Old French | antelop | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | antilops | — |
| 4 | Byzantine Greek | ἀνθόλοψ | antelope |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἀν- | Alternative form of ἀ- used before a vowel;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὀρθός | straight, upright, erect; straight forward, in a... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | ortʰwós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃r̥dʰwós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃erdʰ- | to increase, grow; upright, high |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |